Thursday, January 29, 2009

IDEA Trains at Seoul National University


On January 28th IDEA held a workshop introducing debate to students at Seoul National University. Registration was open to all, and the crowd was a diverse mix of graduate and undergraduate students studying everything from physical education to mechanical engineering to art history.

After introductions and a warm-up activity, the group of about 20 students talked about how to define “debate” and the components of an argument. We then had students choose topics, generated arguments against each of the topics, and had students present speeches defending their stance by responding to those arguments. Topics ranged from abolishing Korea’s laws against adultery to Israel’s attacks in Gaza to the best ways to be healthy, and the speeches were impressive and convincing!

At the end of the session, we talked about tips to public speaking (if you’re nervous, just pretend you’re not!) and went over the rules and structures for the British Parliamentary format of debate.

It was a relaxed and fun session, and IDEA is looking forward to seeing some of the participants next month at the CAU-IDEA Pacific Rim Championship!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Application deadline: HWS/IDEA Round Robin

Applications are dues by January 31st for the HWS / IDEA Round Robin (Worlds Style)

16 top teams from around the world are invited to New York ; visit the site for application details.

Tournament dates: April 10-11

Debate all 15 other teams in 5 British Parliamentary rounds
* Pre-paired rounds, so completely fair pairings and no tab delays
* Break to finals, with $1700 (cash) at stake, plus awesome trophies
* Superior international judging headed by Neill Harvey-Smith

Worth the trip!
* Dinner at the home of HWS President Mark Gearan on April 9
(Bill Clinton's Deputy Chief of Staff & Peace Corps Director)
* Great food and lakefront hotel at the Round Robin April 10 - 11
* We anticipate teams attending from 4 or 5 continents

Convenor: Eric Barnes barnes@hws.edu
Direct your questions about the RR here first.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Establishing a Debate Club

Presentation on IDEA Exchange 2008 held in Amsterdam, Dcember 4 - December 6

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Youth Forum Curriculum Committee selecting trainers

We've received 89 applications for International Trainer positions at the upcoming 2009 IDEA Youth Forum, held in Bosnia and Herzegovina, July 23rd to August 5th, at the Jahorina Olympic center! The Curriculum Committee will be selecting 20 applicants. For more information about the Forum, and to prepare for registration — which is coming soon — visit the site!

Development of Debate in Bulgaria

President Barack Obama's inauguration speech

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Registration opens for US Universities Debating Championships!

The University of Vermont will host the 2009 United States Universities Debating Championship, sponsored by IDEA, April 3-5.

Registration began January 15th, and closes March 25th. Visit the site for more information.


Celebrate Inauguration Day!

Friday, January 09, 2009

Skaqway/Haines Tourney offers chance to debate Bush's decisions in Iraq

Skagway/Haines (AK) Public Forum Debate Tournament- Open to all Schools.
Resolved: George W. Bush should be tried for war crimes against the Iraqi People.
Date: Saturday April 4th (and April 5th if necessary).
Where: Skagway at the Arctic Brotherhood Hall (one of the oldest buildings in Alaska)
Contact: Kent Fielding at fieldingkent@hotmail.com or 907-983-3604 for more information.
Housing and some meals will be made available and will be free for all participating teams.
Note: To get to Skagway, teams will have to fly into Juneau and travel by ferry up the Lynn Canal to Skagway's port.
Please contact Kent Fielding about travel information.

Submit your news!

Have some debate-related news to report? Send it to cphillip@idebate.org, for inclusion in The Big IDEA, our weekly enewsletter!

And while you're at it, don't forget to ask to be added to The Big IDEA mailing list. See your news on the little screen!

The best of the best news will end up in iDebate Magazine. Please submit any news by February 10th for possible publication in the next issue.

Thursday, January 08, 2009

The Monash Association of Debaters seeks Sub-Editor

The Monash Association of Debaters is opening up applications for Sub-Editor positions for its journal, the Monash Debating Review (MDR). The MDR is a prestigious, inter-disciplinary journal containing articles on debating policy, tactics, argumentation strategy and other information relevant for debaters. It has a wide international readership, being sold at major international tournaments such as Australs and Worlds. The Editor-in-Chief will based in Melbourne, Australia (the home of Monash), however Sub-Editors may reside anywhere in the world.

For more information about the MDR and the Sub-Editor role, please see the position description. The application deadline is 28 February 2009. If you have any questions please contact Damien Bruckard at monash.debaters.president@gmail.com.