Karen Mizell

_The Ethics Bowl Way_ introduces the Ethics Bowl to the larger educational community, including those involved in elementary, secondary, and higher education. Ethics Bowl espouses a new way to engage in discussions about complex ethical issues. Although it resembles debate, in that two teams prepare for and present arguments on an ethical dilemma, participants are rewarded not for taking adversarial positions but rather for the degree to which they work together to bolster each other’s arguments by asking more incisive questions, asking for greater clarity, and providing more thoughtful, reflective, logical answers. Changing positions is rewarded rather than penalized; civil discourse is a key value; critical thinking, public speaking, and listening skills are also nurtured. Ethics Bowl’s foremost practitioners explain why this model is often more productive than debate; and how it fosters the very qualities that produce more responsible, informed citizens in a democracy, as well as model co-workers, family and community members, and friends. The book also offers practical, hands-on advice for those who participate in Ethics Bowl (coaches, judges, case writers, organizers) and looks ahead to the ways in which it can be expanded and improved. Ethics Bowl, which began as a classroom activity, is always evolving to become more inclusive, fair, and challenging.

_The Ethics Bowl Way_ introduces the Ethics Bowl to the larger educational community, including those involved in elementary, secondary, and higher education. Ethics Bowl espouses a new way to engage in discussions about complex ethical issues. Although it resembles debate, in that two teams prepare for and present arguments on an ethical dilemma, participants are rewarded not for taking adversarial positions but rather for the degree to which they work together to bolster each other’s arguments by asking more incisive questions, asking for greater clarity, and providing more thoughtful, reflective, logical answers. Changing positions is rewarded rather than penalized; civil discourse is a key value; critical thinking, public speaking, and listening skills are also nurtured. Ethics Bowl’s foremost practitioners explain why this model is often more productive than debate; and how it fosters the very qualities that produce more responsible, informed citizens in a democracy, as well as model co-workers, family and community members, and friends. The book also offers practical, hands-on advice for those who participate in Ethics Bowl (coaches, judges, case writers, organizers) and looks ahead to the ways in which it can be expanded and improved. Ethics Bowl, which began as a classroom activity, is always evolving to become more inclusive, fair, and challenging.

The “Community of Inquiry” as it is used in the context of doing philosophy with children, is a phrase that refers to a pedagogical method in which groups of children and adults come together to discuss a targeted philosophical issue.1 Generally, a philosophical topic is decided upon and initial questions or ideas may be proposed, which are used to generate a discussion among participants. One of the most important features of such a discussion, when well organized, is that all participants are provided with an opportunity to express their opinions and positions, with an express objective of doing away with an adult/child or teacher/student power differential. A model COI provides a place for many philosophical perspectives and opinions.

This dissertation represents an investigation of the interlock between art and autonomy beginning with a general discussion about the uses of the terms, 'art' and 'autonomy'. I investigate various contemporary views about human freedom and autonomy and advance the view that art enhances human autonomy through the vehicle of imagination, a theme developed by Kant. My contention is that sometimes an artwork expresses something especially meaningful, such as a belief or value, that moves or touches the spectator in a way that no other medium can. Often our cultural, institutional, social, and political preconceptions color our background beliefs and expectations about our lives, our relationships, and our environment. These beliefs and expectations sometimes blind us to concepts, attitudes, principles, or beliefs that we take for granted but which we should not accept as a society, or as members of a society, and might not accept if we were consciously aware of them. Many of these institutionalized practices limit human possibility, and by extension autonomy. It is often through art that we are able to articulate these background beliefs and practices, to view the world through the lens of a paradigm other than one to which we are accustomed. One of the most intriguing aspects of this investigation is the extent to which art functions as a social connective, bridging time and culture, enabling human beings to both discover themselves and to master their realities. Art allows us to articulate our human possibilities, most importantly, to connect to other human beings, and develop our capacities to live autonomous lives

The Community of Inquiry is a unique discourse model that brings adults and children together in collaborative discussions of philosophical and ethical topics. This paper examines the potential for COI to deepen children’s moral and intellectual understanding through recursive discourse that encourages them to transcend cultural limitations, confront their own moral predispositions, and increase inter-cultural understanding. As children become familiar with normative values couched in ethical dialogue, they are immersed in ideals of reciprocity and empathy. Such dialogues can become effective vehicles for introducing children to discussions of human dignity and rights that also challenge traditional power relationships between adults and children. The uncritical assumption underlying such power differentials often contests the de facto rights and dignity of children. COI is a valuable tool for human rights education as it encourages children’s sensitivity to the rights and dignities of others and, simultaneously, honors children’s own rights and dignities as participating citizens in the global community.