The purpose of this guide is to anticipate some of the questions you may have in connection with your role as an Ethics Bowl Judge. We have based the guide upon questions that Judges in past Ethics Bowls have asked before the competition began. We hope the guide is helpful to you.
1) The Moderator will determine by a random method which team has the choice of whether or not to present first;
2) The Moderator will indicate the case with which the question put to the team that goes first
(let's say, Team 1) will deal;
3) The Moderator then reads aloud the question;
4) Team 1 will then have one (1) minute to confer, after which one spokesperson for the team
may use up to ten (10) minutes to respond to the Moderator's question;
5) The opposing team (Team 2) receives one (1) minute to confer, and then receives five (5) minutes to comment about
Team 1's answer to the Moderator's question. The commentary may include the posing of a question to Team 1.
Only one spokesperson for Team 2 may present the Team's commentary;
6) Team 1 receives one (1) minute to confer and five (5) minutes to respond to Team 2's commentary. Only one spokesperson
may present Team 1's response to Team 2's commentary, however the spokesperson may be a different team member from
the one who made the initial presentation of the Team's response to the Moderator's question;
7) The Judges then may ask questions to Team 1. EACH JUDGE MAY ASK NO MORE THAN ONE QUESTION WITH A BRIEF FOLLOW-UP QUESTION. THE ENTIRE PERIOD FOR JUDGES' QUESTIONS SHALL LAST NO MORE THAN TEN (10) MINUTES. Before asking questions the Judges may
confer with one another to discuss briefly areas that they want to cover during the question period. Different
team members may respond to the questions of different Judges, however, only one team member may respond to a given Judge's question;
8) The Judges evaluate both Team 1's response to the Moderator's question and Team 2's commentary on score sheets
provided to them. AT THIS POINT, HOWEVER, THE JUDGES DO NOT ANNOUNCE TO THE TEAMS THE SCORES THEY HAVE GIVEN THEM;
9) Team 1 and Team 2 reverse roles for a second round with a different case;
10) At the close of the second round the Moderator asks the Judges to announce the teams' scores for the match.
It is critically important that a team states its position in such a way, that you believe you understand it fully. This means that a team must use words in ways that are neither obscure in their meaning, overly vague, nor overly general. The arguments and analyses a team presents must be logically self-consistent and presented in such a way that Judges can follow the team's line of reasoning.
Without exception, Ethics Bowl questions pose difficult issues that call for reflection upon a range of ethically relevant factors about which reasonable people may disagree. One cannot reasonably expect a team to reach closure on a question, in the sense of resolving all the issues posed by the question beyond a shadow of a doubt. As an Ethics Bowl Judge, however, you must decide whether, in your opinion, a team's response gets to the heart of the matter in a short time. In this regard, you must consider whether a team's response clearly identifies, and discusses the ethically relevant factors with respect to the question that you view as most important.
As a Judge you must evaluate a team's response in terms of its sharpness of focus. In this connection, you must consider whether, in your opinion, the response gets off the track by concentrating upon issues that you don't consider ethically central, or even relevant at all.
As noted above, Ethics Bowl questions pose difficult issues that call for teams to reflect upon a range of ethically relevant factors about which reasonable people disagree. As an Ethics Bowl Judge you must evaluate whether a team's performances (i.e. its answer to the Moderator's question, responses to Judges' questions, and commentary upon the response of the opposing team to its question on its case) exemplify deliberative thoughtfulness. In this regard, you must pay special attention to whether, in your opinion, a team's performances incorporate awareness, and thoughtful consideration, of ethically relevant factors that could loom large in the reasoning of individuals who might disagree with the team's stated position on the issues raised by a case.
What, if anything, should I do in advance to prepare for the Ethics Bowl?
You don't have to do anything other than read through the set of cases we will send you. All the teams will receive the same set of questions about six weeks before the Ethics Bowl. The questions asked of teams at the Ethics Bowl will be based upon these cases.
Whom should I contact if I have further questions in connection with the role of an Ethics Bowl Judge?
If you have other questions, please contact Julia Pedroni
Thank you for agreeing to serve as a judge at the Fourth Northeast Ethics Bowl. We think you will find the experience enjoyable and worthwhile. We look forward to seeing you at the Ethics Bowl.