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Hutton Honors College

 —  IU Team Wins Ethics Bowl

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IU Poynter Center Ethics Bowl Team Places First in US Competition


(Men, from left) Mark A. Wilson, coach of the team and doctoral student in religious studies; Richard B. Miller (slightly behind), faculty sponsor of the team, director of the Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions, and professor of religious studies; team member James Bourke, a junior in philosophy, political science, and an IMP major in nonviolence theory and practice; team member Khalil AbuGharbieh, a freshman in political science and Near Eastern languages and cultures; and team member Jacob Fulk, a junior in religious studies. (Women, from left) Team members Elizabeth (Libby) Lewis, a senior in religious studies, philosophy, and political science and Valerie Aquila, a senior in journalism and history. All five team members are Honors College students; Libby, James, and Khalil are Wells Scholars.
The Indiana University Poynter Center Ethics Bowl Team won the Tenth Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl February 26th in Cincinnati, Ohio. The competition is held each year in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics.

The IU team was sponsored by the Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions, an IU research center. The team included five members, all of whom are Honors College students: Khalil AbuGharbieh, a freshman in political science and Near Eastern languages and culture; Valerie Aquila, a senior in journalism and history; James Bourke, a junior in philosophy, political science, and the Individualized Major Program (nonviolence in theory and practice); Jacob Fulk, a senior in religious studies; and Elizabeth Lewis, a senior in religious studies, philosophy, and political science. The faculty director was Richard B Miller, director of the Poynter Center and professor of religious studies. The coach was Mark A. Wilson, a doctoral student in

religious studies. The thirty-nine participating teams competed in three rounds in the morning. The teams were given thirteen complex ethical and policy cases to study in advance of the competition, though they were not told what questions they would be asked about any case. For each match, one team was required to present a view on a case and then respond to questions from the opposing team and judges. Then the roles were reversed, and the opposing team presented an argument surrounding a case, after which they were to respond to questions. Teams were evaluated at the end of each match for the quality of their arguments, responses, and counter-responses. The top eight teams advanced to the quarterfinals. The IU Poynter Center team defeated Weber State University in the quarterfinals and University of Montana in the semifinals. IU defeated Wright State University in the final round.

The day-long competition is held each year as a method of involving students in viewing difficult situations from a variety of perspectives. The competition is presented by the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics and the Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

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