Georgia Southern Ethics Bowl team rising to national prominence
In just two years, Georgia Southern University’s Ethics Bowl team has become nationally competitive, earning a top 15 finish and the Bob Ladenson Spirit Award at the APPE Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl earlier this semester. Among nearly 40 teams, they stood out for their strong case engagement, respectful competition and embodiment of the event’s spirit.
Georgia Southern’s Ethics Bowl team coach, Paul Tubig, Ph.D., has seen the team evolve since its creation by four ambitious philosophy students in 2023 into a team of 12 students, strong enough to hold their own on the largest stage in their field.
“For us to reach the national competition in the second year is really impressive,” said Tubig. “One coach said that we were the most impressive first-timers they’ve seen. In their 10 years of coaching ethics bowls, they were only able to reach the national competition once.”
Ethics Bowl competitions challenge students to analyze and discuss contemporary ethical dilemmas, while emphasizing open-minded discourse, reasoned argumentation and collaboration. Teams must prepare responses and presentations to 17 possible ethical cases before each competition, covering issues that range from the ethics of family vlogging to the moral accountability of parents in school shootings.
During the competitions, a team has to consider a wide range of angles to approach a topic as well as make a concise case. A strength of the Georgia Southern team lies in the diverse group of majors compared to many other teams, which are typically made up of mainly philosophy or political science majors.
Logan Collins is the president of the team and an anthropology junior with a public health minor. She said the team’s wide range in backgrounds makes the team stronger.
“We have people who are prepared to answer analytical questions,” said Collins. “We have people who are prepared to have practical knowledge and practical application of some of these theories as well.”
Collins first joined the team after a stint with the University’s Model United Nations team, which also successfully participates in regular national recognition. While some members like her joined the team for the nature of the competitions, others joined to develop specific skills for careers outside of public policy.
The team’s vice president is Cade Huff, a double major in electrical engineering and philosophy. Intrigued by the competition style, Huff also wants to develop stronger communication, interpersonal and presentation skills for his future career in electrical engineering.
“Where I worked over the summer as an intern, I had to communicate with a lot of different contractors,” he said. “The process of communication in itself becomes a public speaking event in many cases. If you’re giving a presentation or meeting face-to-face with different people in the field, you have to be able to communicate clearly and effectively. Ethics Bowl helps me do that.”
With the team’s recent success, Tubig said he expects to add another team for future national competitions. For information on the team and other student organizations in Philosophy and Religious Studies, visit this webpage.
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