Programs at the University of Washington

Relationship with the University of Washington

Description

Thanks to PLATO’s long-standing relationship with the University of Washington Department of Philosophy, developed by the Center for Philosophy for Children before its merger with PLATO in 2022, PLATO offers:

  • Graduate and undergraduate courses about philosophy with children and youth
  • The Seattle High School Ethics Open (new program being piloted this year)
  • Workshops and resources for teachers
  • Opportunities for graduate and undergraduate schools to become involved in the Philosophy in the Schools Program in the Seattle Public Schools
  • Opportunities for visiting scholars and educators

Ethics Open

Description

The Ethics Open is a new event format developed by PLATO. It was piloted in Seattle on Saturday, March 8, 2025, at the University of Washington School of Law. The 2026 High School Ethics Open in Seattle will be held at the University of Washington School of Law on March 7, 2026. More information will be posted here in August or September 2025.
 
Like the Washington State High School Ethics Bowl, which for 11 years was run each year by PLATO and the University of Washington Department of Philosophy, the HIgh School Ethics Open is an event at which teams analyze a series of wide-ranging ethical dilemmas involving topics such as cheating, plagiarism, peer pressure, relationships, and abuse of social media. The event is intended to promote collaboration and dialogue.
 
Unlike debate, teams are not forced to take adversarial positions or hold fast to an assigned persepective. They can agree with each other and are not required to refute each other’s points, but rather to offer commentary on one another’s arguments.
 
The Ethics Open is intended to be easily accessible, with advance preparation optional. The High School Ethics Open is open to students and schools who register in advance, either as individuals or in teams of 3-5 members. Individual students are assigned to teams upon arrival. The cases used draw from six cases that are posted each fall in the Cases and Resources tab, with one round involving a “cold” case. The Ethics Open follows a modified Ethics Bowl format.
 
Teams are judged according to the quality of a team’s reasoning and how well team members organize and present their cases, analyze the case’s morally relevant features, engage in a civil and thoughtful exchange, and anticipate and preemptively respond to commentary and questions.
 
At the end of each round, the moderator facilitates a whole group discussion involving the two teams, the judge, and audience members.
 
Judges for the High School Ethics Open come from the local legal, education, and philosophical communities. 
 
For more information about the Ethics Open, contact us at info@plato-philosophy.org.
For information about PLATO’s Ethics Initatives generally, click here.
 
 
2025 HIGH SCHOOL ETHICS OPEN RESULTS

Awards went to the following schools:
First place: Lakeside School Team 1
Second Place: Skyline High School
Award for Civil Dialogue: Seattle Academy Team 2

2022-2024 HIGH SCHOOL ETHICS BOWL RESULTS
 
“The Ethics Bowl has prepared me to go into a conversation ready to have my mind changed.”
– Seattle high school student
 
 
2024 HIGH SCHOOL ETHICS BOWL
The 2024 Washington State High School Ethics Bowl was held
on February 3, 2024, at Nova High School in Seattle. 
 
Awards went to the following schools:
First place: The Bush School Team 1
Second place: Lakeside School Team 1
Award for Civil Dialogue: Nova High School 
 
 
2023 HIGH SCHOOL ETHICS BOWL
The 2023 Washington State High School Ethics Bowl was held
on March 11, 2023, at the University of Washington School of Law.
 
Awards went to the following schools:
First place: Lakeside School Team 1
Second place: The Bush School Team 2
Third place: Lakeside School Team 2
Award for Civil Dialogue: Chief Sealth High School and Eastlake High School
 

2022 HIGH SCHOOL ETHICS BOWL
The 2022 Washington State High School Ethics Bowl was held in person on Saturday, April 2, 2022, at The Bush School
 
Awards went to the following schools:
First place: The Bush School 
Second place: Ballard High School Team 2
Third place: Eastlake High School 
Award for Civil Dialogue: Lake Washington High School 
 

Ethics Bowl 2014 on Vimeo

 

2025 Cases and Resources

Registration

Registration has closed for the 2025 Ethics Open.

Sponsors

A huge thank you to the sponsors of the Ethics Open!

     

 

University of Washington Courses

Philosophy for Children

Our relationship with the University of Washington Department of Philosophy allows us to offer courses for University of Washington graduate and undergraduate students in which students learn to lead philosophy sessions in K-12 classrooms, with supervision and mentoring from experienced instructors. Each year, we offer an introductory class in the fall and then a more advanced seminar for undergraduates, combined with a graduate seminar, each winter.

These classes focus on ways to establish classroom “communities of philosophical inquiry,” and university students develop an understanding of how to inspire philosophical discussions with K-12 students. The emphasis is on learning by doing, and each class session operates as a community of philosophical inquiry.

Sample Syllabi

Click the following links to view samples:

  

What Students Say

Our work was highlighted in the 2014 University of Washington Provost’s Report on innovative teaching approaches. Involvement in philosophy for children classes has inspired hundreds of undergraduates over the years.

Here’s what students say about the courses: 

“During my time in this class I have had many realizations, one of them being that asking a question is the answer to all questions. I’ve taken away so much from this class much more than any other course I have taken at the University of Washington. I say this because this class encouraged me to be an individual and I felt that I was always pushed to think differently, as opposed to the usual classes here where you are graded by your ability to be smarter at something than someone else in this class. The class encouraged us not to be the same and we are embraced for our individuality. This class has taught me to ask questions and to realize that there are so many answers to one question, but the answers we seek are not to fulfill our need to know what’s right or wrong but to fulfill our curiosity about the nature of things.”

“This class has allowed me to chisel away at the cover that has hardened over my curiosity and imagination. I don’t know how I could possibly go about living ‘real life’ without using what I have learned in this class.”

“I think a new perspective on the very real ability of children to be philosophical, a deeper understanding of my own beliefs on subjects like life, death, compassion, time, and right and wrong, as well as new thoughts and perspectives about those same subjects generated by my classmates are some of the most valuable things I learned in the class.”

“If I had to choose absolutely one take away from this class, it is to try my best to completely listen to the points of others.”

Visiting Scholars and Educators

General Information

PLATO regularly hosts visiting scholars and educators at the University of Washington and serves as a national and international resource in the field. We have hosted visitors from many countries around the world, as well as other parts of the United States.

Visiting scholars and educators sit in on university classes and programs, observe philosophy sessions in local public schools, and attend High School Ethics Bowl practices and/or competitions. We have hosted visitors for anywhere from one day to an entire quarter.

Contact

If you are interested in visiting us in Seattle, please contact PLATO Executive Director Jana Mohr Lone at jana@plato-philosophy.org.