Taylor students are practicing their public speaking and critical thinking skills in preparation for the Ethics Bowl regional competition.
The competition will feature approximately 20 teams and will take place at Marian University in Indianapolis on Nov. 22.
The top three placing contestants in the regional competition will advance to nationals, which will take place in late February or early March. Two years ago, Taylor’s team placed third nationally.
“Students develop critical thinking skills, public speaking abilities, and learn how to communicate moral reasoning to people with diverse beliefs,” Koert Verhagen, Ph.D., Taylor’s Ethics Bowl coach, said. “It’s one of the most beneficial extracurriculars that a student at Taylor can get involved in.”
The Ethics Bowl competition involves a set of 17 questions describing a complex real-world ethical dilemma. The students are not given the exact questions before the event, so preparation is done broadly.
Ethics Bowl debates include topics such as AI, free speech, the environment, technology, euthanization and healthcare.
Teams consist of five to six members, and Taylor is participating with two teams. Participants must prepare themselves to answer questions made by other teams and judges.
There are two or three judges. The participants are judged on their quality of moral reasoning, clarity, engagement with others, delivery and depth that they deliver in their arguments.
“It’s about the ethics behind it and demonstrating that you've carefully considered the nuance of particular ethical issues,” Charlotte Ostric, Taylor Ethics Bowl team captain and president, said. “You learn to articulate your beliefs in a way that’s thoughtful, humble and respectful — even when you disagree.”
Even though the competition is rewarding for prepared contestants, it presents multiple challenges. Participants are faced with complex ethical issues with no clear answer that require contestants to reassess their values. Sometimes, there are even disagreements about the issues within a team.
Public speaking, articulating a position on a complex issue and the ability to quickly answer questions to support a stance on a topic are all skills that require a lot of time and practice to master.
Team captains Ostric and Matt Sanborn have expressed how their time in Ethics Bowl have helped them grow in their confidence, maturity, empathy and listening skills.
“One of the biggest areas of growth is learning humility and realizing that other people have good reasons for thinking differently than you do,” Sanborn said. “In terms of transformation — spiritual, intellectual and social — this is one of the most valuable clubs to do that.”
Taylor’s Ethics Bowl teams are also provided with an opportunity to positively represent their faith and demonstrate how faith can be applied to ethical matters.
Competitors are not allowed to quote from Scripture; however, the Taylor participants still align their stances with the principles and values in the Bible while still making an appealing argument to secular and non-secular schools.
“Students must learn to advocate for moral good in a way that’s totally consistent with and grounded in their faith convictions…but publicly accessible,” Verhagen said. “Students learn how to make cases for moral good that are consistent with who Jesus is, in a way that is compelling to people who may not believe in Jesus.”
In preparation for regionals, Taylor’s teams will be practicing a public mock debate on Nov. 19 in Ayres.
Students are encouraged to attend the public mock if they are interested in signing up for Ethics Bowl. Sign-ups begin early next year and award a course credit.
“Even for people who are not necessarily in Ethics Bowl, it’s really important for Christians to be a part of the world,” Ostric said. “Be in the world, but not of it. Ethics Bowl taught me how to do that.”
For any questions regarding Ethics Bowl, reach out to charlotte_ostric@taylor.edu or koert_verhagen@taylor.edu.
