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By finishing third out of 27 teams, Oakland advanced to the national round of competition, which takes place in February at the 24th annual Conference of the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics in Costa Mesa, Calif.
“This impressive group of bright and hardworking undergraduates represents the strongest team we've had in the 11 years that Oakland has been participating in the Ethics Bowl,” said Dr. Mark Rigstad, associate professor and chair of the philosophy department. Dr. Rigstad coaches OU’s Ethics Bowl team along with Lisa Campbell, special lecturer in the Department of Communication and Journalism.
“It's very exciting to be in a position where we stand a decent chance of bringing a national championship to Oakland University in what has become over the years an increasingly large and stiffly competitive intercollegiate contest,” Dr. Rigstad added.
In an Ethics Bowl competition, teams are presented with a variety of ethical questions and are evaluated by a judging panel based on their responses to those controversies. The cases cover a wide range of disciplines, such as business, engineering, biological research journalism, law, medicine and social work. The competition helps students build a skill set that serves them throughout their careers.
“Apart from our desire to perform well and be victorious in a rigorous academic competition, we also place a high value on the critical thinking and public speaking skills that students hone in the course of pursuing this endeavor,” Dr. Rigstad said.
“Many former Oakland Ethics Bowl team members have gone on to achieve great success after graduation in a variety of careers. It is an especially good preparation for law school, and past team members have been admitted to top tier law schools with substantial financial support.”
In addition, a second OU team took part in the Upper Midwest Ethics Bowl, scoring an impressive win over crosstown rival University of Detroit Mercy in head-to-head competition. Other schools at the event included the University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Loyola University Chicago and Bowling Green State University.
Tryouts for next year’s Ethics Bowl teams will be held on campus in April. To learn more about OU’s Ethics Bowl teams, contact Lisa Campbell at llcampbe@oakland.edu.