Lessons from the Ethics Bowl | Lessons from a Collaborative Experience
By: Lisa Anderson, Cassandra Mesick, Christine Reiser, Krysta Ryzewski & Bradley Sekedat
In April 2007, Brown University fielded a team composed of graduate students from the Department of Anthropology and the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World in the 4th annual Ethics Bowl at the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) general meeting held in Austin, Texas. This year’s competition also included student teams from Indiana University, Michigan State University, Northwestern State University, the University of California-Berkeley, the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and the University of New Mexico.

The SAA Ethics Bowl is a debate-style intercollegiate competition, the content of which is based on a series of ten case studies pertaining to relevant issues in archaeology today. These hypothetical scenarios are designed both to stimulate discussion during the Bowl and to provide teaching resources across the wider discipline. The scenarios incorporate a broad range of archaeological issues. The cases we addressed, for example, concerned themes of Open Access, ARPA, cultural representation and diversity, archaeology in times of war, museum stewardship, and multiple publics.
More detailed information about the Ethics Bowl in general can be found HERE. The case studies for 2007 can be viewed HERE.
We were of course delighted to be adjudged the winners of this year's Ethics Bowl, but for us it was the lessons and benefits from the collaborative experience of preparing for it and participating in it that provided the richest rewards. We share part of our experience in this short commentary.
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