What else can a debate club do besides tournaments?
In the history of US debating, debate was a pipeline to academia. There was scarcely a faculty member who hadn’t been a part of, or at least participated significantly in debating as an undergraduate in speech communication departments. Whether this was a choice, or forced, or what, I’m not sure. The history of that still needs some development. What I am sure of now is that this is no longer the case, and the debate club goes to tournaments model might need some shoring up in the modern speech communication department.
Here is one of my attempts at offering an alternative narrative as to what debate programs do. I had three students put papers together about or related to debate experiences where they accessed theory in order to help them account for experience at tournaments. This seems to give an intellectual edge to what some might not be convinced are intellectual endeavors. It also helps answer concerns about the emphasis on competition that a debate club brings by definition.
Other attempts include community and school outreach, which I hope to post some videos of as well. I think that the modern debate program is doomed if it doesn’t offer a menu of events that differ in perceptible ways from victories at tournaments. Basing your program on competitive success is not sustainable.
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A Few Other Things a Debate Club Might Do With Its Extensive Debate Prowess
by,
Cale
– Largesse! Collect donations from parents, boosters, etc. (because that’s so easy to get). What should be done w/ the money? Debate it out (publicly or privately) and enact the results.
Resolved: We should totally give all this money to Habitat for Humanity or something.
Resolved: No way! Invest and donate the yield in perpetuity.
Resolved: Nah, let’s keep it and go to more tournaments.
– Philosophy! Science! Engage with a current problem in philosophy or science (or choose another discipline entirely) and try to solve or advance it through one debate or perhaps a series (Philosophy Debate Tournament? Semester-long project?). Contact current authors, research positions and attempt to publish your findings w/ all debaters as co-authors. This would gain academic professional experience (engaging w/ the publication process). Also, it uses your finely honed tool in a different way, perhaps finding a new way to apply or improve it.
– Politics! Who’s the best candidate (president, congress, mayor or otherwise)? Have a public debate, especially in non-normal places, such as the street or a park; guerrilla debate. Or, create a club blog or YouTube channel deconstructing and critiquing public political debates. Offer solutions to improve; demonstrate what the candidate should have said or done. This requires a wider range of rhetorical expertise and analysis, I would guess. Many, if not most, people associate debates with politics. This idea would build up a natural bridge between a popular view of debate and the debate that is practiced by the club.
– Current Affairs! OWS. Suckers or heroes? Is the demonstration actually accomplishing anything or is it only a blaring voice in the wilderness? Have the protesters exceeded whatever limits to free speech there are? They’ve gone big…should they now go home? Perhaps have the debate in the midst of the protesters themselves. Might be dangerous or totally awesome or both. This idea has the advantage of engaging with a significant current happening and distilling opinions and actions associated with an important social movement.