Competition spotlights issues that matter most to Michigan high school students
High school students from across the state explored a range of ethical questions in this year’s A2Ethics case competition, penning original case studies about the issues that matter to them.
Students from five schools participated in the eighth annual contest, submitting 16 cases.
Pioneer students Zooey Raux, Chiara Cominelli and Chiaki Hada took the grand prize and $350 for their case, entitled A Missionary Murder. The case explores the case of John Chau, a missionary who was murdered after he attempted to visit with the Sentinelese, an indigenous group that has refused all contact with the outside world.
“We first learned of the incident that this case is based on a few years ago when it made headlines,” the team wrote. “It resurfaced as an intriguing topic when we were brainstorming ideas for our case write-up, offering us the opportunity to explore the intricate relationship between the law and divergent interpretations of morality, especially across contrasting cultures.”
A2Ethics President Jeanine DeLay says that writing ethics case studies offers high school students a different lens to examine topics important to them.
“Since ethics issues encourage spirited discussions among classmates, friends—and even everyone in the writers’ orbit—they have a way of promoting democratic conversations in the larger community,” she says.
The two honorable mentions of the competition, winning $150 each, went to Huron High students Arav Bhojani and Sena Yoshida.
Arav was honored for The Ethics of GTA VI. The case examines the ethics of the popular video game GTA VI, and the criticisms it has received over the violence it depicts, and Sena, for Passion or Safety? a case delving into the risks of playing football, and the responsibilities schools, players and parents hold.
“I picked this topic because of the massive popularity and hype surrounding the new game and how violence was normalized in it,” said Arav. “After the trailer was released for GTA VI, I started thinking about whether or not this game would have a positive impact on humanity. While I am still not sure, I hope people take these games more seriously and dive into the moral implications of violence within them.”
For Sena, personal experience also inspired the case. “Growing up I’ve had friends and family who were told to not participate in football because of all the dangers that come with it,” Sena said. “While football is a very popular sport, it also comes with lots of difficulties and risks. This inspired me to write a case about it as it may resonate with many people!”
Founded in 2008, A2Ethics.org is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting ethics and philosophy initiatives through events, education, and partnerships. Youth programs include the Michigan High School (HS) Ethics Bowl in partnership with the University of Michigan Department of Philosophy Outreach program; the Michigan HS Ethics Case Writing Competition; and award sponsorship for HS student presentations at the annual Siena Heights University Great Lakes Philosophy Conference and the Eastern Michigan Undergraduate Philosophy Conference. Adult events include: neighborhood Big Ethical Question Slams, and the online discussion series, Design Your Own Ethics Symposia.
A2Ethics supports communitywide efforts to strengthen ethics networks and expand public engagement and shared discussions of real-world ethics issues in Michigan and Beyond.
The competition was judged by a panel of university philosophers. The winning cases, as well as cases submitted by students from Garden City High School, Skyline High School, and University Liggett School, will be added to the Michigan High School Ethics Case Writing Archive on the A2Ethics website later this year.
For more information, contact Jeanine DeLay at jadelay@a2ethics.org.
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