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

2019-2020 National Case Set Katie Leonard 2019-2020 National Case Set Katie Leonard

The Pernkopf Atlas

Today, Steve has his first full shift as a surgeon. Nervous, he wants to go over a reference book to calm himself and gain a brief refresher. However, the only text on hand is Eduard Pernkopf’s Atlas of Topographical and Applied Human Anatomy, a medical resource with Nazi roots. Knowing the painful history that resulted into the book’s production, Steve is apprehensive about using it. He knows the likelihood of his upcoming procedure going wrong is slim, but a small glimpse in the Atlas would further lessen the chances. Should Steve avoid the book?

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

Male Circumcision

In the US, male circumcision is very common. For some religions, male circumcision is an important initiation rite. And some proponents stress its medical benefits. However, others claim that these medical benefits are overblown and that it is morally wrong as a result. Still others argue that it is morally wrong whether or not it has medical benefits.

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