Fifteen teams comprising more than 100 students will compete in the seventh annual Tennessee High School Ethics Bowl on Saturday, February 13. The event was postponed from January 23 because of winter weather in the area.
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Department of Philosophy and the UT Humanities Center are organizing the event. Home Federal Bank is sponsoring the bowl, which is the largest high school ethics bowl in the nation, based on the number of competing schools.
The competition will take place at the Holiday Inn World’s Fair Park downtown, 525 Henley Street. It will begin with an opening ceremony at 9:00 a.m. and conclude at 5:00 p.m. The public is invited to watch the bowl.
“No matter what one is engaged with, there will always be value judgments,” said Alex Feldt, UT lecturer in philosophy and lead organizer of the event. “The Tennessee High School Ethics Bowl helps students think more about how those value judgments are formed, and then when a disagreement comes up they can hopefully see that they should not immediately dismiss those who disagree with them. The ethics bowl is a start in helping students identify and develop these skills.”
East Tennessee high school students will analyze a series of controversial ethical issues, ranging from racism to the use of natural resources. The teams will present their ideas to judges, including UT faculty and Knoxville community leaders.
This year, the winner of the Tennessee High School Ethics Bowl automatically qualifies for the National High School Ethics Bowl, which will be held April 15-16 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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CONTACT:
Lola Alapo (865-974-3993, lola.alapo@tennessee.edu)
Alex Feldt (865-974-3255, afeldt@utk.edu)