CASE Library
Explore The Issues that Matter.
We excitedly invite you to browse, search, and explore our newly redesigned library of over 300 case studies which render some of the most complex and controversial moral and political issues of our time. These cases were formerly used for official NHSEB competitions at the Regional, Divisional, and National Championship levels. They are freely available for public use under Creative Commons licenses.
The NHSEB Case Library is an excellent tool for competitive preparation, internal or intramural competition, or beyond the context of the Ethics Bowl activity completely—as a classroom resource for Grades 9-12 and beyond.
Featured Cases
NAVIGATING THE LIBRARY
NHSEB’s Case Library is now fully browsable by individual case, or by Case Set—using the filters below. Or, if you already know a bit about what you’re looking for, the entire library of over 300 Ethics Bowl cases is newly indexed, referenced, and searchable by title, topic, keyword, year, and category. Each individual case entry contains the full text of the case and discussion questions as they originally appeared for competitive use, all references assembled in hyperlinked footnotes, and additional contextual resources curated by NHSEB HQ.
CASE SET COLLECTION
REGIONAL CASE SETS
2023-2024 | 2022-2023 | 2021-2022 | 2020-2021 | 2019-2020 | 2018-2019
2017-2018 | 2016-2017 | 2015-2016 | 2014-2015 | 2013-2014 | 2012-2013
National CASE SETS
2023-2024 | 2022-2023 | 2021-2022 | 2020-2021 | 2019-2020 | 2018-2019
2017-2018 | 2016-2017 | 2015-2016 | 2014-2015 | 2013-2014 | 2012-2013
FIND AN ETHICS BOWL CASE
ATTRIBUTION AND CITATION
All National High School Ethics Bowl cases are the intellectual property of the Parr Center for Ethics, and all are freely available for public use under Creative Commons licenses once retired from use in NHSEB competitions. This library represents thousands of hours of work from our Contributing Authors, Editors, and others. Please do not reproduce NHSEB cases or sets—in part or in whole—without attribution, or modify the text of individual cases or sets. If you reproduce or make reference to NHSEB cases from this library (e.g., in classroom materials, academic papers, etc.), please attribute and/or cite those materials:
National High School Ethics Bowl (Ed.), <YEAR>. “<Case Title>.” National High School Ethics Bowl Case Library. UNC Parr Center for Ethics: Chapel Hill, NC. http://nhseb.org/case-library
Browse The Library
Parental Controls
From July 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, 1,145 books were banned across the United States, 41% and 33% containing characters of color and LGBTQ+ themes or main characters, respectively. One instance of mandated censorship is Flordia's HB 1557 "Don't Say Gay" bill. Legislation supporters emphasize concern about parental rights to control what children are taught about gender and sexuality, whereas critics of the bill point to the LGBTQ+ youth suicide rate and the benefits of representation. What is the relationship between parents, teachers, and the content of classroom discussion? When, if ever, is it morally permissible to ban books?
Alternative Beliefs in School
Administrators prevented the school newspaper from running an editorial about being an atheist at a predominantly Christian public school. Should the school be able to censor material that is not defamatory or otherwise illegal? Is religious activity on school campus morally permissible?
The People’s Pornography?
David Cameron wants to restrict access to online pornography in the UK. What role should governments have in deciding if content is morally acceptable for children? Given Mr. Cameron's view that porn is morally corrosive to children, how should the UK balance the greater good against free speech and other rights?