
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
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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
Clothing of Calamity
African countries, including Rwanda, have effectively banned the importation of secondhand clothing in order to protect the industry and integrity of their citizens. In Rwanda, secondhand clothing can be found for so cheap, potentially free, that it has devastated the textile industry. Not only has it had economic impact, but it also forces Western dependence upon Rwanda because of their inability to produce their own clothing and the threats against Rwanda for banning these imports, such as being excluded from a U.S. trade deal.
The Medical Brain Drain
In many poorer countries, such as Nigeria, people will seek to earn a medical degree in order to better their chances to immigrate to richer countries like the United States. This causes "medical brain drain," which is the act of medical professionals leaving their home country for better living conditions. This can be problematic, as it leaves countries like Nigeria without necessary healthcare workers, worsening the medical needs of the nation. Still, these doctors are seeking better lives for themselves and their families, taking advantage of the immigration system of richer nations.
The Tiger King
The documentary Tiger King tells the story of many eccentric big cat collectors and their community as a whole. This doumentary pitches Joe Exoctic, the owner of many big cats against the Animal Rights group Big Cat Rescue and its starter Carol Baskins. The presentation of the story sparked controversy, as it portrays Exotic as a sympathetic figure even though he abused his animals and employees, and Baskins as an antagonist even through her conservation efforts. There is no body that dictates how a story must be told in filmmaking, which has led to the makings of ethically dubious shows such as this.
American Dirt
American Dirt, a novel about the journey of a mother and her son seeking refuge in the U.S. was released to mixed reviews. Many immediately attacked the book upon release, saying that it was stereotypical and did not accurately show the challenges Latin Americans face, and that it lifted the voice of a white person who has never experienced these issues. Those in support of the book believe that it may be able to reach a wider audience than other books on the same topic.
(De)funding the Police
Protests erupted in the summer of 2020 over the killings of two African-Americans at the hands of the police. This led to a national call to "defund the police." This desire to "defund the police" has those in favor split into two groups: those who want to abolish policing, and those who want to take money from the police and put it into other community initiatives. There are still many Americans who do not want the police abolished or defunded, citing worries about safety and a lack of an alternative.
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.
Wholesome Discipline
The aim of discipline has often been to punish a person for wrongdoings that they have committed, but this has a disproportionate impact on disadvantaged students. Instead of punishing students to discipline them, many schools have turned toward wholesome discipline. Rather than punish for something done, schools try to rehabilitate the aggressor to understand their actions and return them to a state before they commit a wrongdoing. This leads to a more supportive environment with accountability, but makes academic and disciplinary outcomes worse.
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?
Saving the World, Barbie Style
An Instagram account has been created with the pictures consisting of a Barbie Doll photoshopped into images of third world locations. This is an attempt to mock outsiders who claim they come to help these places but actually make it worst. People have begun to label this as voluntourism. There are many benefits to helping but sometimes it can result in makign the situation worse, especially when the person coming to volunteer themselves aren't actually trained in building and other task. Can this still be considered as good work, even if it could be self-serving and just for a picture on social media?
“Just” Discrimination?
Female gold Olympic medalist, Caster Semenya, has a medical condition called hyperandrogenism. This causes her testosterone levels to be higher than that of an average female. Officials see this as an unfair advantage and force her to lower her levels 6 months before competition. This seems odd given that they are implying Semenya has too much talent, when talent is neccessary for this level of competition. Should it be permissable for officials to control Semenya's levels?
Working While Sick
Kate, a fast food employee, has gotten sick. Her job does not offer paid leave for people who do catch any sicknesses, and Kate desperately needs the money she would lose if she did decide to take off, especially since they already cut her hours. If she chooses to go to work, she can endanger her fellow employees and also spread the sickness to the food and to the customers, which is bad for business. Is Kate morally permitted to continue work in hopes of getting no one sick, or should she take off, risking getting fired and losing the money she needs?
The Wishes of the Dead
Yvonne and Zaina have been married for years, until Yvonne passed away and made 3 wishes before her death. One, for Zaina to never drink coffee again, due to her believing this was the cause for her terminal illness without any proof. Two, Yvonne wants the money she left to be dedicated towards research on the negative effects of coffee. Third, Zaina can never marry again. After years of following through with her promise, Zaina begins to wonder if there's any point to the silly demands, especially since she has found a new love interest who is ready to be married. Would Zaina be wrong to break her promises?
Universal Basic Income
Universal basic income or UBI is a guaranteed stipend provided by the state to its people. Ex-presidential candidate Andrew Yang wanted to provide citizens a monthly 1k. Supporters say that this would give the people a safety net when considering and taking financial risk, as well as pursuing their personal goals without worrying about poverty. Others argue this by saying that providing income to those who don't put enough into earning it is unfair to the ones that do, since indirectly these are the people who would be funding the UBI. Should the UBI have more specific terms on who receives it? Is this unfair to those who work hard for their financial success?
Self-Interested Voting
Fang is considered a wealthy professional making about 130K a year. It is election day and she still cannot decide on who to vote for. Governor Date plans to implement a tax increase on wealthy civilians, as well as make healthcare more accessible for everyone. Senator Full plans to make financials easier on wealthy civilians, by decreasing tax on them. Personally, Fang benefits more from Full, but she knows generally and morally she should vote for Date. Should Fang vote on what would benefit her more or what would benefit most of America?
Ethics Bowl vs. Prom
Jake, a high school senior, made a promise to his girlfriend, who is also a senior, that he'd take her to prom. Jake is also apart of his highschool ethics bowl team along with two other junior members, in which they just moved into nationals. Unfortunately, both events conflict with each other and there's no way he can go to both. There is also no one that can take his place at the national ethics bowl. Jake prefers to go to prom and this upsets his two teammates. Should Jake reconsider, even though he and his girlfriend are seniors while his teammates can try again next year?
Foreign Activists
In 2018 Ireland held an abortion referendum. Pro-life advocates from America travelled all the way there to convince the people of Ireland to vote pro-life. Lots of critics have a problem with foreign\outside opinions and tactics being pushed on another country, especially when these Americans don't know much about Ireland values and culture. Others quote MLK in the sense that "An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Do outsiders have a right to interfere with other countries civil endeavors? Is there a line between the ones they should be allowed to and the ones they shouldn't?
Burning Cash
47,000 acres were burned by an accidental fire caused by a teen who threw fireworks into a canyon. The judge sentenced the boy to $36 million in restitution, 152 apologies to the ones endangered, and 1,920 hours of community service. The judge also stated it is possible if there are no crimes committed and he follows up on his payments, apologies, and hours, his debt will be forgiven. Some say this is extremely absurd due to the likelyhood of a teenager being able to complete this, but the judge states that the debt is equal to the damage he cost. Should this punishment be permissable?
Nandi’s Choice
Briefly after marriage, Nandi was fortunate enough to receive great news. One, he and his wife was expecting a daughter, and he was offered the opportunity to get his bachelor's degree in America. He promised his family he'll come back after his education and left. 4 years later, he was awarded another opportunity to pursue his Ph.D. After a few years, his father dies and they rush back home. Upon Indian tradition, the son must take the mother into his home, but it makes it difficult when they both see different places as home. Should Nandi abandon his academic pursuits in the name of his family?
Love Island
Love Island is a reality television show in which contestants compete for a cash prize. In the 2016 season of the show, (then) Miss Great Britain, Zara Holland appeared. Holland, during the show, engaged in sexual activity with another islander in the Hideaway Bedroom, which was caught on camera, after which she was stripped of her crown. Some think that this decision was rooted in sexism. Do public figures, such as beauty pageant winners, have a moral responsibility to maintain a certain image, in virtue of being role models? If so, what sort of image are they responsible for maintaining?
It’s Just a Preference
Jason was recently encouraged by his friends to try online dating. After a few days of no hits, he finally matches with someone only for them to send a message saying, “Sorry, accidentally swiped right. Not into Asians.” While racial preferences seem to be common in online dating many claim that these trends in dating preferences are racist. Others argue that desire is deeply rooted and one shouldnât feel obligated to go against it. To what extent are racial preferences in dating an individual character flaw? A broader social problem? Neither? Both?