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
Felon Disenfranchisement
Voting rights for convicted criminals vary dramatically from state to state. Critics argue that so-called felon disenfranchisement laws are anti-democratic because they relegate millions of people to second-class citizenship. Defenders insist that felons have viled to uphold their responsibilities as democratic citizens and thus deserve their right to vote. What qualities are important for voting responsibly? How, if at all, do racial disparities in felon disenfranchisement laws influence the justifiability of these laws.
Electoral College in Question
The founders of the USA adopted the Electoral College as the system of choosing the president. People now ask if it is still appropriate. Proponents argue that it protects against the election of unqualified candidates and that it guarantees that larger states cannot exercise tyranny over smaller states. Detractors argue that its origins undermine its use and that it leads to the overrepresentation of the interests of smaller states.
Too Young to Vote?
Given that minors are directly affected by political decisions, should the voting age be lowered to 16? On what should the right to vote depend?