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!

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.

Establishing a Debate Club

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

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

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!

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.

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.

IDEA launches online debate adjudication journal

Deliberation, an online, peer-reviewed academic journal focused on adjudication of competitive academic debates, was launched this December. Deliberation solicits and publishes the critical analysis of academic debating rounds in the format of the World Universities Debating Championships that present interesting, unusual or compelling circumstances and from which may be drawn useful insights and generalizations about the best practices of debating and adjudication. The journal intends to publish quarterly editions, depending on the quantity and quality of submissions received. Submissions are welcome from adjudicators who served as chairs or panelists, concerning debates from preliminary or elimination round competition at any tournament.

Each year, Deliberation will publish a special issue featuring the reflections of adjudicators on the panel for the Grand Final of the World Universities Debating Championships.

Read the journal.

Political Messages in Debate

Third IDEA-BFSU Tournament a Success!

In cooperation with the School of English and International Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University, IDEA held the third annual IDEA-BFSU four-team parliamentary debate tournament from December 5th to the 7th. 250 students from provinces across China joined together to debate topics ranging from curbing Somali piracy to policies in student dormitories.

Unlike previous tournaments that IDEA has sponsored in the PRC, this tournament included a Chinese-language division as well as the English-language division. Many participants had been at BFSU just a month earlier for the IDEA Mandarin and English debate workshop. 84 teams participated in the English division and 40 teams participated in the Mandarin division. The English division broke to octafinals, with students weighing the pros and cons of abolishing veto power in the United Nations’ Security Council. The Mandarin division broke to quarterfinals, where both divisions debated the motion “This house would not allow foreigners to own a controlling interest in Chinese companies.” Semifinals saw rousing debates on if and how China should support for “DINK” (Dual-Income, No Kids) families. For the final round, both divisions debated different motions on environment policy.

First place in the Mandarin division went to Xi’an International Studies University and second place was won by Peking University. First place in the English division was captured by a team combined of one student from Beijing Foreign Studies University and another from Willamette University. Capitol Normal University won second place in the Mandarin division.

Many thanks to Jason Jarvis for donating his time to run tab, and to Karen, Effie, Yang Ge, Cecily, Jingkai and others at BFSU for their help.

Dates announced for the International Tournament of Champions

IDEA and Willamette University are pleased to announce the fourth annual International Tournament of Champions for High School Parliamentary Debate. The tournament, which will use the standard American Parliamentary Debate format, will be hosted on the Campus of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon on May 21-23, 2009.

Debates will begin on May 22 and will continue through the afternoon of May 23. All teams will compete in six preliminary rounds. A number of elimination rounds appropriate to the size of the tournament will follow the preliminary rounds.

IDEA and the Willamette University Debate Union will conduct a parliamentary debate workshop on the afternoon of May 21. All debaters entered in the tournament, as well as any other debaters who wish to register can participate in the debate workshop.
For more information and to register, visit the webpage.

IDEA Trains in Ulsan, South Korea

IDEA and the U.S. Embassy in Seoul partnered to hold a debate training in the southern coastal town of Ulsan, South Korea, on December 8. Two training sessions were held at Ulsan's Teacher Training Institute: one for high school English teachers on integrating debate curriculum into their classes, and another for elementary and middle school students on the basics of debate.

In the first session, 55 teachers and I discussed the concept of debate, the benefits of using it to teach English and ideas for debate-centered lesson plans. After viewing part of a recorded debate on using corporal punishment in schools, we talked about how to adopt a similar format to the classroom setting. We then held a sample debate “class” where each participant chose an argument, had their argument refuted by others, and crafted a speech summarizing and addressing the refutations. All teachers also received copies of Idebate Press' "Speaking Across the Curriculum" and talked about ideas for using the lesson plans in the book in Korean high school English classes.

Around 60 middle and late elementary school students participated in the second session. Together, we talked about what makes a good debate, watched part of a debate and did several activities to give everyone an opportunity to try debating. The group was an active one: after the first activity on defending arguments, nearly half of the students volunteered to give their speeches. The second activity got lots of kids excited, as each small group chose a job that they considered to be the “best” and wrote arguments in defense of their job. At the end, we had several of the groups debate each other on what occupation had the greatest benefits. The end of the session saw some lively discussions on whether being a singer or being a diplomat would be a more fulfilling career— definitely a difficult choice.

I would like to thank Ms. An Sun-Nam and Ms. Yim Soo-Bin from the U.S. Embassy for their help, as well as the Ms. Ryu Wee-Ja and Ms. Lee Kyung-Suk from the Uslan Teacher Training Institute for their support and hospitality. IDEA looks forward to collaborating with Teacher Training programs in the future and hopes to see debate become a regular part of the curriculum in schools throughout Korea.

Debating in the Neighborhood

Presentation about Belarus debate program on IDEA Excahnge 2008 held in Amsterdam, 4-6 December.

IDEA launches new subsite for the 2009 Bosnia and Herzegovina Leadership Program

The subsite for the 2009 Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Leadership Program is now up. Here, participating BiH students and teachers can prepare for their trip overseas. The site also features information for potential host families, a community blog, and tentative schedule. More content will be added in the coming months.

During April of 2009, the program will welcome BiH youth leaders and teachers to the campus of Willamette University. Through community service projects, hands-on learning with Willamette Academy students, cultural outings, and participation in engaging debates, students will expand their understanding of democratic processes, and build appreciation of various beliefs and cultures. Students and teachers wrap up their journey with a trip to Washington, DC, where they will walk the National Mall and take in its world-class museums.

To learn more, visit the site.

The month-long program is a partnership between the US Department of State, US Embassy in Sarajevo, BiH, and Willamette University in Salem, OR.

Why the Web Works Wonders for Debating

David Crane presentation on IDEA Exchange 2008 held in Amsterdam.

The Results are in for The People Speak Fall Global Debates!

Out of all of the great plans the UN Foundation received, IDEA chose these four schools to receive prizes:

GRAND PRIZE WINNERS
Solvista Secondary School, South Africa Read their plan
Alief Kerr High School, Texas, U.S. Read their plan

RUNNER-UP
Orh Avner, Ukraine

ORIGINALITY PRIZE
Villa Maria Academy, Chile

Congratulations to the winners!