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By Jeria Barnes
DECATUR, Ga.—Dr. Jordan Dopkins spent weeks last fall preparing the first-ever team of Perimeter College students to compete in the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE) Online Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl.
Getting ready for the competition included frequent scrimmages against students from Georgia State’s Atlanta campus. Dopkins, an assistant professor of philosophy at Perimeter, said the weekly meetings gave students the chance to explore ethical theories, practice deliberating, and delve into the Ethics Bowl cases.
As a result of their hard work and preparation, Perimeter’s team secured a solid win against the University of Richmond during the November 2024 competition. The team also went head-to-head against other prestigious institutions such as Rhodes College and Yale University, engaging in a rigorous debate with Yale and coming very close to a win against Rhodes.
“We gave Yale a real run for their money and even managed to knock them out of the top three,” Dopkins said.
“I couldn’t be prouder of our students.”
Perimeter College student Kevin Castro competed in the Ethics Bowl and said that preparing for it was “surprisingly fun.”
“When you are around like-minded people who are respectful of different opinions, it is very engaging,” he said.
Castro’s experience with the Ethics Bowl is an example of how Perimeter College encourages students to explore their educational passions.
“Overall, it was the highlight of my semester. I will definitely continue to participate and hope to be able to take it as far as possible,” Castro said.
Gates Godfrey, Chawn Mason and Kennedi Porter are the other students who competed in the Ethics Bowl.
Dr. Dopkins plans to continue encouraging students to participate in the Ethics Bowl and looks forward to more competitions.
“Next year, we plan to aim for an in-person competition with other Georgia-area universities, as well as a second virtual team for the online bowl,” Dopkins said.