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| Vienna Debate Workshop-Finale (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
This upcoming season of competitive debating is going to be one to remember. And we won’t even have to try.
I haven’t posted here in quite a long
time. I’ve had a lot of stuff going on in my life and really didn’t
have much time for writing. Hopefully I will now be posting here once
a week, and possibly more as the tournament season gets underway here
in the U.S.
time. I’ve had a lot of stuff going on in my life and really didn’t
have much time for writing. Hopefully I will now be posting here once
a week, and possibly more as the tournament season gets underway here
in the U.S.
This first post is an examination of why I think this year is historically significant for debaters. Debaters not just in the United States, but worldwide. Over the next few posts I’ll explain three of these reasons for why I think we will look back at this year as historically significant in the future.
There are a lot of changes. Debate is
in flux in the U.S., at every level. It’s an exciting time if you
know how to look at it. For a lot of people, these changes are
probably a bit disconcerting if not frightening.
in flux in the U.S., at every level. It’s an exciting time if you
know how to look at it. For a lot of people, these changes are
probably a bit disconcerting if not frightening.
This first post is focused on the United States, and why 2013-14 is going to be significant there.
Welcome to the World
Debate is finally becoming a global
activity in the United States. Although we have a long history of
international debating here, it has always been outside of the
tournament or competitive frame. Since the 1920s, British debaters
have journeyed to the U.S. to take a national tour, stopping along
the way for local color as well as to take on the local college’s
best debaters. This tour still continues to this day, but now it sits
along side the arrival of many international options. The Americans have been getting a slow and steady taste of international debating, but this is the year it is going to go from appetizer to main course.
activity in the United States. Although we have a long history of
international debating here, it has always been outside of the
tournament or competitive frame. Since the 1920s, British debaters
have journeyed to the U.S. to take a national tour, stopping along
the way for local color as well as to take on the local college’s
best debaters. This tour still continues to this day, but now it sits
along side the arrival of many international options. The Americans have been getting a slow and steady taste of international debating, but this is the year it is going to go from appetizer to main course.
This summer at the national
championship, the National Forensic League held an invitational round
robin tournament using the World Schools debating format. Although
this was an invitation only event in Alabama, the event was held in
order to introduce high school coaches, teachers, and debaters to the
new format they hope to roll out nationally starting soon. The past
two years I have taught at the Houston Urban Debate League summer
camp, helping to teach people this format last year for the first
time. This year I heard so many stories of enthusiasm for it from
teachers and students – and that it has taken off with enormous
popularity. World Schools debating is practiced globally – and it
is the format for the world championships held annually between
nations.
championship, the National Forensic League held an invitational round
robin tournament using the World Schools debating format. Although
this was an invitation only event in Alabama, the event was held in
order to introduce high school coaches, teachers, and debaters to the
new format they hope to roll out nationally starting soon. The past
two years I have taught at the Houston Urban Debate League summer
camp, helping to teach people this format last year for the first
time. This year I heard so many stories of enthusiasm for it from
teachers and students – and that it has taken off with enormous
popularity. World Schools debating is practiced globally – and it
is the format for the world championships held annually between
nations.
I predict 2013-14 will be remembered as
the year where World Schools was introduced, and in turn introduced
American debaters to a whole new world of international competition.
I don’t think it will replace any High School formats that are loved
by many, but I do think it will give these formats a run for their
money. World Schools debating will introduce the first generation of American debaters to the international style of debating not just as observers, as through watching a tour debate, but as participants.
the year where World Schools was introduced, and in turn introduced
American debaters to a whole new world of international competition.
I don’t think it will replace any High School formats that are loved
by many, but I do think it will give these formats a run for their
money. World Schools debating will introduce the first generation of American debaters to the international style of debating not just as observers, as through watching a tour debate, but as participants.
But furthermore, at the collegiate
level, I believe this will be the first group of debaters in
University who will experience a very different tournament
environment than the one they do as first years. If their tournaments
only offer one format of debating, this is going to change over the
next four years. And these first year students are going to be the last group to
start under an old system and move toward a new one.
level, I believe this will be the first group of debaters in
University who will experience a very different tournament
environment than the one they do as first years. If their tournaments
only offer one format of debating, this is going to change over the
next four years. And these first year students are going to be the last group to
start under an old system and move toward a new one.
At the University level, the popularity
of British Parliamentary or Worlds debating is gaining a lot of
momentum. Southern schools are going to start picking it up as it begins to spread. The more schools who are doing the format increases the
chances that there will be tournaments held in that format in those
regions. Other southern powerhouses are interested in exploring
Worlds debating as a way of allowing graduate students and law
students to compete. I think this year is the year where we will
start to see all of these things rising, and in a few years we will
look back to this year as the moment when it all started to change.
of British Parliamentary or Worlds debating is gaining a lot of
momentum. Southern schools are going to start picking it up as it begins to spread. The more schools who are doing the format increases the
chances that there will be tournaments held in that format in those
regions. Other southern powerhouses are interested in exploring
Worlds debating as a way of allowing graduate students and law
students to compete. I think this year is the year where we will
start to see all of these things rising, and in a few years we will
look back to this year as the moment when it all started to change.
Of course, many reading this who are from the traditional debating formats in the U.S. might be concerned about what will happen to those formats. In the next post, I’ll explain why the arrival of new and popular formats that offer things the old formats can’t offer are actually helped by this development.
