Throughout this 8-week course, students will develop their skills in argumentation, public speaking and rhetoric by engaging complex topics during competitive debates. Students will learn the essential concepts of speech & debate and by the end of the course, will be familiar with debate formats common to High School & Collegiate debate leagues. Most importantly, the course is designed for learners to have fun while engaging with complex debate topics!   

Debate topics will be both challenging and relevant to current events (e.g. fracking & universal basic income). Effective research on topics will be essential. In addition to basic research (no more than an hour per week will be required) done ahead of classes, students will actively utilize note-taking and research during debate rounds to track and counter opposing arguments. Team collaboration and camaraderie will be heavily emphasized during debate round prep, and teams will be frequently rotated.

Weeks 1 & 2: Review of common logical fallacies and effectively delivering contentions with appropriate evidence. Practice mini-debate and a full competitive Public Forum debate.
Weeks 3 & 4: Research & evidence weighing drills. Discussion on common contentions that debaters will encounter across different resolutions. Competitive Public Forum debates. 
Weeks 5 & 6: Clinic on solvency, critiques, and effective cross examination. Competitive Policy debates. 
Weeks 7:  Discussion on effective public speaking, including tone, and volume and body language. Competitive Public Forum debate.
Week 8: Final Tournament

This course will provide students with a ground-up introduction to competitive debate and while previous speech & debate experience will be helpful, students within the recommended age group (13-16) do not need any previous experience in debate.