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
Harper’s Bizarre
In July 2020, Harper's Magazine published an open letter saying that the ability to freely exchange ideas is currently being constricted. This is due to what has become known as "cancel culture," the practice of preventing certain people from being able to freely exchange information because of the negative or derogatory nature of the content. While some see this as an attack on democracy, those in favor of "cancel culture" attest that some ideas should not be allowed to be spoken to create a better society.
Confederate Monuments
What roles do Confederate monuments play in American society and public spaces—are they valuable or problematic? Some Americans think that they should remain as they are in public spaces, while others argue that they should be moved or destroyed.
Losing Admission to Harvard
Harvard recently rescinded several students' admission due to their posting inappropriate content on social media. Should students' social media presence play a role in the college admissions process? Should offensive social media use lead to rescinding admission? If so, how should we decide what is offensive enough? And how should the line between public and private social media be drawn?
Shame on You
Some are using social pressure in the form of "fat shaming" to address the obesity epidemic in America. Critics worry these campaigns will promote negative attitudes about people who appear overweight. How should we weigh the good and bad effects of fat shaming? Is there a moral difference between a comedian engaging in fat shaming and a hospital doing so?
Warning, Warning, Don’t Read All About It!
Students have started to demand trigger warnings about potentially traumatizing material in the classroom. Critics of trigger warnings claim they threaten free speech as well as the role of higher education to train students to challenge their beliefs. Proponents argue that trigger warnings create a safe, supportive environment for students to learn more effectively.
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?
Photoshop Fiction
If photo-shopping has negative psychological effects and misleads consumers, to what extent should the government regulate photo-shop in advertising? Does regulation of photo-shop intrude on a business's right to freedom of speech and expression?
Media Coverage of Mass Murders
It has been argued that media coverage of the perpetrators of mass killings may instigate copycat killings. Should freedom of the press to cover mass killings be protected if it is shown that such coverage leads to more killings?
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?