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

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

2022-2023 National Case Set Katie Leonard 2022-2023 National Case Set Katie Leonard

In a Pickle

Adults Deborah and Joe have been pickleball partners since childhood. Deborah is eager to face tougher opponents than Joe. When the partner of a more advanced pickleball duo, both of whom pick on Joe, is sick, Deborah desires the opportunity to test her skills against better competition. Joe is appalled at her impulse and gives Deborah and ultimatum: if she plays with the other pickleballer, Joe will never play with her again. Deborah prizes friendship over pickleball, but she doesn't think Joe is being fair. What obligations come with friendship?

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Trolling for a Refund

Linda is planning to get married on a budget so she decides to do her own planning, including picking the photographer. Turns out, the photographer that was sent to take the photos the day of was a completely different photographer than the one she met with, and the pictures he took a bit short of ordinary quality. Linda tries multiple times to contact the company for a refund, but each time was met with no response. Linda's reaction was to notify everyone who attended the wedding to blast the company with bad reviews, but Linda's best friend, Viola, has always been against trolling. This hesitation is causing conflict in the relationship. Should Viola give into what her friend wants for the sake of the relationship?

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2018-2019 National Case Set Katie Leonard 2018-2019 National Case Set Katie Leonard

Believing in Others

Tamir and Sharon have been friends since their first year of high school. Sharon went on to school for arts and dreams of starring on Broadway. Tamir went on to school for philosophy and dreams of becoming a professor. After Sharon gets turned down for a role in a local production she begins to question whether she should move to NY and asks Tamir what they think. Tamir is unsure that Sharon will be successful in NY and wants to be supportive, but also doesn’t want to lie to Sharon. What does it mean to believe in someone? Does it mean believing that they will achieve their goals, even when the evidence says that they won’t?

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2018-2019 National Case Set Katie Leonard 2018-2019 National Case Set Katie Leonard

Friendship and the Wedding Industrial Complex

Jo’s childhood best friend Teddy is engaged to be married and has asked Jo to be in the wedding party, to which Jo agrees. Other members of the wedding party keep asking Jo to split the costs of things related to the wedding shower and the bachelorette weekend. However, Jo feels conflicted as the time and money involved in these events begins to add up.

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2018-2019 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard 2018-2019 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard

Company Woman

Ravi and Amaia work as data analysts for a large tech company. Given his dissatisfaction with the job, Ravi has decided to quit and go back to school but asks Amaia not to tell. Has Ravi acted unethically? Was Amaia right to tell Ed of Ravi’s decision to go back to school?

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2017-2018 National Case Set Katie Leonard 2017-2018 National Case Set Katie Leonard

Dry Wedding

Aparna is attending Mary's wedding. No alcohol is being served so Aparna has brought a flask. The day before the wedding, Aparna discovered that Mary struggles with substance abuse. When Mary sees the flask and grabs it from Aparna, asking for a sip, Aparna does not know what to do.

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2017-2018 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard 2017-2018 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard

Best Man or Worst Man?

Bijan's best friend Mike is getting married. Bijan does not like his friend's fiancé and is unsure whether he should tell Mike about these feelings. If Bijan doesn't confront Mike, is he to blame for anything? What is the morally best way for Bijan to confront Mike if he chooses to? If Bijan shares his feelings, how should or could Mike feel about them?

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Katie Leonard Katie Leonard

Eating for Free

Milan is fired from her restaurant job for making herself free food when the restaurant closes at night. She did so because her manager and close friend Kai sometimes gave her permission to do so and she knew the leftover food was thrown away. What constitutes stealing? What moral obligations do managers have to subordinates who are also their friends?

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2014-2015 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard 2014-2015 Regional Case Set Katie Leonard

Copying Homework

Vivian asks her friend Gabriella if she can copy a worksheet for a homework assignment she forgot to do. On the one hand, the worksheet is just busy work and Gabriella wants to help her friend. On the other hand, she could get in trouble and it seems unfair to all of the students who did the homework on their own.

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