A new collaboration with Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands will provide Saint Anselm College students with opportunities to learn about cultural, governmental, and societal differences through virtual engagement with hot-button universal ethical/moral issues.
Titled the International Ethics Bowl, a Saint Anselm ethics class was the first to participate in this new virtual experiment. Students were given prompts prior to their performance, which they were required to address in their presentations. These topics demonstrated many different cultural considerations when engaging with these controversial issues. The topics included nuclear weapons, freedom of speech, free exercise of religion, and weight-loss medication.
Previously, the two institutions alternated yearly visits through a study abroad program. The global trips provided the students at each college to explore the other’s campus, nearby culture, and attractions.
“These cases provided the most transparency regarding the cultural, religious, and legal differences in each of our respective parts of the world,” said one student. “By conversing with these students on these topics, I learned more about European culture, education, and government directly from the people who live there. Ideas and facts about other cultures often become distorted in the news and are filled with errors because they are filtered through narrow perspectives.”
"I thought it was really interesting in trying to articulate my moral worldview to others in a comprehensive manner,” said student participant and Theology major Cameron Fournier ’28. “Of course, there is some difficulty in trying to perfectly articulate my view and understand the views of others, but it’s part of the challenge of the Ethics Bowl.”
“The Ethics Bowl was an excellent experience overall. It gave me a chance to explore ethical issues not only from the perspectives that we have been studying in class, but also in a more general sense that would allow me to present it to people who I meet in everyday life,” said Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Mathematics major Kyle Vogtman ’28. “It also gave me an opportunity to interact with people from different backgrounds and walks of life, increasing the perspectives that have influenced my thinking on these issues. I greatly appreciate this opportunity and feel that it has supplemented the class very well.”
Philosophy Professor Robert Anderson is the first professor to teach ethics and incorporate the International Ethics Bowl into the curriculum. Professor Anderson had previous experience with ethics bowls before teaching his students about exactly what to expect and how to prepare; he has judged many high school ethics bowls in the past hosted by the Center for Ethics in Society.
The College’s Office of Partnerships helped develop the new program with Radboud University Nijmegen. “We are so happy with this first international ethics bowl,” said Saint Anselm’s Max Latona, philosophy professor and executive director of partnerships.
“While case study analyses have always been an excellent tool for developing ethical reasoning, the cultural differences between the American and Dutch students adds an additional opportunity for reflection and learning,” he remarked. “Saint Anselm alumni who served as judges were hugely impressed by the students from both institutions. We hope this becomes an annual tradition.”
Saint Anselm College looks forward to continuing this collaboration with Radboud University Nijmegen and would like to continue offering it to students to broaden their experience while taking the core ethics requirement.