The University of Lynchburg Ethics Bowl team will host its peers from two other local colleges for an exhibition debate on Tuesday, January 26.
The LC team will square off against the ethics bowl teams from Randolph College and Sweet Briar College in Hopwood Auditorium at 7:30 p.m.
The exhibition will give the students an opportunity to practice ethical debates together before they go on to the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges Ethics Bowl contest on January 31 and February 1. There, they will compete against teams from Virginia’s 15 leading private colleges in debates on the theme of “Ethics and Civic Responsibility.”
The LC Ethics Bowl team will then proceed to the national Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl competition on February 21. The Lynchburg team secured a spot in the national contest after winning second place in the regional Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl competition in November.
“I am so proud of this team,” said Dr. Laura Kicklighter, the LC Ethics Bowl coach and professor in the Westover Honors Program. “These students have put in a great deal of time and energy into researching and preparing for these events. I am confident that they will excel at Nationals as well and can’t wait to see them in action again.”
Although formats vary, each ethics bowl competition challenges college students to address a variety of ethical dilemmas presented in case studies. Teams must choose a position on the question and convince judges that their positions have the strongest ethical grounding. Success requires quick, critical thinking and strong oratory skills.
“Ethics Bowl is a great opportunity for students to advance their own carefully-considered analysis of a moral dilemma while respectfully responding to alternate viewpoints,” Dr. Kicklighter said. “This is a skill central to good citizenship and productive public discourse.”
She is glad that the ethics bowl programs foster collegiality and friendly competition, attitudes that led to the invitation for Randolph and Sweet Briar. “We’re lucky to have two other institutions with ethics bowl teams so close by so that we can build relationships across campuses,” she said.
All competitions are free and open to the public.
