Below are the topics for the 2021 Ethics Bowl. Included with each are suggested areas to cover in your research into the topic. Credo Reference and Encyclopedia Britannica are great starting places for context. Opposing Viewpoints, CQ Researcher, and Points of View Reference Center are good for looking at multiple sides of an issue.
2. Talk Until You're Blue in the Face
- What the filibuster is
- History (i.e., circumstances under which it was instituted
- The Cloture Rule and how it has changed majority needed to break the filibuster
- Bipartisanship
3. Critical Race Theory in Schools
- What is critical race theory?
- What is institutional or systemic racism?
- IS CRT taught in K-12?
- Has the teaching of history in K-12 changed in light of CRT?
5. Iguana Be Left Alone
- Florida's prohibited pet list
- Green iguanas
- Hernando Reptile and Exotic Animal Rescue and Education
8. Is the Price Too High?
- What is Bitcoin?
- How is it mined?
- How is energy consumed in mining bitcoin and how much energy is consumed in mining bitcoin?
10. A Penny for Your Shots
- What kinds of incentives have been offered to persuade people to get vaccinated?
- Fairness or justice in "bribing" public to get vaccines
11. Your Money or Our Lives
- Accessibility of vaccines to developing nations and poor communities
- Waiver of patent protection for vaccines
- So that poorer countries can develop vaccines for their populations
12. From Cradle to College?
- Benefits of early childhood education (ECE)
- Access to ECE
- Government role in providing ECE
14. Living and Dying in Skid Row
- The $12 billion plan for homelessness in California
- Homelessness in CA
- Ordinance to criminalize homelessness in CA
15. An Eye for An Eye
- What is doxing?
- Who is Antifa?
- Michelle Dawson
- First Amendment
- The hacker group Anonymous
