Four Methodist University students will be putting their ethical chops to the test during the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities’ 12th annual Ethics Bowl.
Four Methodist University students will be putting their ethical chops to the test during the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities’ 12th annual Ethics Bowl.
MU joins 15 other private colleges and universities across the state to compete in the highly anticipated event this Friday and Saturday at the North Carolina Legislative Complex in Raleigh. It marks the first time since 2020 that students will be able to compete in-person, due to the pandemic.
The Ethics Bowl challenges students to provide sound, persuasive and ethical arguments in response to complex issues like artificial intelligence, mental health, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and many more.
The MU team is sponsored by Piedmont Natural Gas, and the following Monarchs will compete in this year’s Ethics Bowl:
- Junior Adriana DeMercurio, Psychology & Health Care Administration
- Sophomore Asemahle Mgayi, Political Science & Financial Economics
- Junior Matthew Parker, History
- Freshman Jaydon Ross, Criminal Justice & Forensic Science
“Unlike other debates, the Ethics Bowl, is not a simple pro and con format,” said Dr. Kevin Hoffman, MU’s Ethics Bowl campus coordinator and assistant professor of Philosophy & Religion. “In fact, teams often argue the same conclusion. But what they are judged on is the quality of ethical reasoning they employ along the way.”
The Ethics Bowl consists of four rounds across two days, including the semifinal and final rounds. Three judges and one moderator will score each match.
“This will be my first time participating in the Ethics Bowl so I’m genuinely excited about the entire experience,” said Mgayi. “The different types of ethical reasoning is what excites me the most because ethical reasoning can easily flip depending on the topic at play.”
Along with the valuable experience, the Ethics Bowl is also embedded into the participating MU students’ course load. All four students are earning one credit hour as a part of their Philosophy 2000 class, a semester-long course that informs students of the various moral theories needed to compete in the Ethics Bowl.
To learn more about the Ethics Bowl, visit here.