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
Let Them Eat Cake?
Some bakeries have refused to make wedding cakes for same-sex weddings because their religious beliefs prohibit them from taking part in the celebration. If a private business owner refuses to sell a product to people because they plan to use it in a ceremony they religiously disapprove of, are they engaging in discrimination?
VT Vaccine
Amidst growing concern about undermining herd immunity, Vermont banned the use of philosophical, but not religious, exemption to the vaccination requirement for public school students. Do parents have a moral duty to vaccinate their kids? Is there a morally significant difference between deeply held secular and religious beliefs?
State Secularism
Quebec's government proposed a bill that would ban public-sector employees from wearing religious symbols. Should a government be allowed to require its employees to violate their religious beliefs?
Health and Human Services Mandate
The US government requires that insurance providers cover sterilization, abortion, and contraceptives. The mandate exempts churches and religious organizations, but not church-affiliated nonprofits. Is this moral or immoral?
Title IX and Female Athletes
Title IX has allowed females to be on their school's baseball, football, and wrestling teams. Due to religious principles, a Catholic high school forfeited a championship game rather than face a team with a female athlete. Is it okay to ignore a group's religious beliefs in order to promote equality?