Club Spotlight: Ethics Bowl
The Ethics Bowl Club is ever-popular at OHS, and with a recent trip to UNC Chapel Hill under their belts, Bella Samutin spoke with the co-team leaders, Anna Stoneman and Shannon Madden, to learn more!
Pixel Journal: Can you give a brief overview of what your club does/involves?
Shannon Madden and Anna Stoneman: Ethics bowl is based around the discussion of modern controversial issues in philosophical context. Using philosophical theories, we take moral stances on the regional (and this year, national) cases to create an argument to discuss during our weekly meetings and ultimately, the competition.
PJ: Why should people join?
SM and AS: Any OHSer is qualified thanks to our core curriculum, so if you’re interested in philosophy, debate and/or present-day, real-world issues (of which we have many) Ethics Bowl is the place for you. Participants also get the opportunity to attend the Northern California Regional Ethics Bowl competition, and even Nationals at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. We also have three amazing club leaders (Dr. Wallhagen, Dr. Drogalis and Dr. Walker-Dale) who help remind us that philosophy is always more complicated than we think!
PJ: What was your original reason for leading the club?
SM: Honestly, I never intended to act as a leader in this club. This year, my second year on an Ethics Bowl team, our original team won the Regional competition and qualified for Nationals. I only became one of our leaders due to the success of the team as a whole. I guess what I’m trying to say is that we really don’t have student leaders other than those who show dedication, handwork and interest in the club, and those who are willing to step up to compete and help teach.
PJ: What impact have you seen it have on individuals or on the OHS community as a whole?
SM: Aside from allowing us to use the competitions as “meet ups,” it has personally helped me develop my confidence in my philosophical knowledge, and my ability to form an in-depth analysis of difficult issues. As a club, Ethics Bowl has allowed members of our student body to come together to discuss topics that typically would not come up in regular conversation.
PJ: How do you think your club would be different in a brick and mortar school as opposed to OHS?
SM: It would definitely be a lot easier to meet as a group! I think the brick and mortar environment might allow for a more dedicated club meeting time and space so we could perhaps intensify the program (some schools hold it as highly regarded as a class). I think that regardless of physical space, our club has the benefit of having great philosophy professors to guide us.
PJ: Have you made any changes since taking it over?
SM: Well, I wouldn’t say we’ve taken it over, but as this past school year marked only the second year of the club, we have made some changes. We are now more efficient in how we go about meetings, cases and teaching new attendees the ropes. Competition wise, we’re still learning, but I am putting together a list of tips and advice from our experience this year.
PJ: What is the most difficult question/scenario you have been faced with in competition/debate?
SM: Our first round at nationals, our team proposed a great argument, the other team had a rocky start, and every person in the room was under the impression that we had the round in the bag. Yet, somehow we lost and were immensely confused. We were shaken and began doubting the subjectivity of the judges, yet somehow became closer through our shared, but very different reactions. We realized that Ethics bowl isn’t necessarily about winning or losing (although we prefer wining), but about understanding perspectives other than our own.
PJ: How do people join?
SM and AS: Just sign up! It’s offered as a club at the beginning of the year, so you can sign up that way or just email Dr. Wallhagen. We’re always looking for more members!