World Debate Institute

WDI Blog Moves to New Site

2011-06-17T12:41:00.001-04:00

http://debate.uvm.edu/debateblog/wdi/

We have consolidated all WDI information as well as the blog at a new website. Check there for the latest information about our programs around the world.

EDI Adds Faculty, New Website for August Free Debate Workshop

2011-05-23T12:19:00.000-04:00

The East Debate Institute is a FREE WUDC debate training workshop that will be held at the University of Vermont 21-26 August 2011. Attendees must arrange their own housing and meals, but there is a nearby youth hostel.

EDI has announced some new faculty members:

Monica Ferris, Hart House, University of Toronto, Canada: Canadian National Champ, US Universities Finalist.
G. Rhydian Morgan, Stylus Communications, UK: CA at numerous international tournaments, lifetime member of the Oxford Union, has taught at workshops in North America, Europe, Asia, Middle East and more.

These faculty members join existing staff:

Dr. Jan Hovden, Bates College, USA: coached team to semis at US Universities, coaches successful APDA team, coached USA policy national champions.
Mary Nugent, Cambridge Union, UK: Director of Debating at Cambridge Union Society, judged WUDC finals, won four UK IVs, Vermont coach in 2011-12.
Dr. Alfred Snider, University of Vermont, USA: CA at many tournaments in USA and abroad, breaking judge at WUDC, coached NEUDC sweepstakes champions four years in a row. EDI Director.

There is a new website for the program, complete with registration details, housing links and a tentative schedule.

http://debate.uvm.edu/debateblog/edi/Welcome.html

WDI European Programs for Fall

2011-05-08T19:09:00.000-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

The International Debate Academy in Slovenia is jointly sponsored by the World Debate Institute and ZIP SLovenia.

First, here is the link to the new web page that contains the educational elements of the 2010 program.

http://debateeuropeforcitizens.blogspot.com/ 

 with video lectures from Kranjska Gora and a lot of content and debate training material. Please, feel free to use it and circulate it in your debate circuits. We would also appreciate a lot if you can publisice the link to this debate training web to your ownweb page. Thanks a lot. 

The second info is about IDAS 2011 - it will happen in Hotel Špik again and tournament in Ljubljana, from 19th - 28th of November. You can participate in the whole event or the tournament only.  Here is the web page http://debate.uvm.edu/idas.html 
The registration is open. Please, do not wait with registration as the places are limited. 

Some of you know that we did submit a new proposal to Europe for Citizens. We do expect the answer will be in June and I will let you know when we find out. I will also inform everybody if we are able to  give scholarships for those who otherwise can not afford to participat. Right now we do not have any sponsor yet. 

I will appreciate a lot if you can circulate this information in your debate community and globally. 

Best, Bojana 
--
Bojana Skrt 
direktorica 
Za in proti, zavod za kulturo dialoga 
Svetosavska 24, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija 
www.zainproti.com 
+386 (0)41 423377

News from USUDC 16 January 2011

2011-01-17T01:11:00.000-05:00

http://debate.uvm.edu/debateblog/usu2011/

USUDC 2011 is hosted by the Lawrence Debate Union at the University of Vermont in cooperation with the World Debate Institute and the Debate Central websites, of which this is one.

Lots to report...

Entries are now at 142 teams with 24 on the extra teams waiting list. It seems like we will really make our 200 team cap, so please enter now before you get shut out. Check the list to make sure you are there. If you have judges that are not listed let us know.
http://debate.uvm.edu/debateblog/usu2011/Entries.html

Many global teams have contacted us and we are negotiating with them on visas and issues like housing and they are arranging funding for transportation. We will add them to the list when we can. We have already added Alberta, British Columbia, ILCS Morocco, Manila, Marianapolis, National University of Singapore, Queen's, Tshwane University of Technology, and University College Dublin.

We have considered the applications of the many DCAs and we have made decisions. We are contacting them now and will make an announcement later this week. Thank you so much for the impressive array of global talent that applied.

After our DCAs are announced we will be putting out a call for judges to add to our pool. Some subsidy will be available, rego waivers, housing and even limited travel sponsorship. Stand by for this. We will have an announcement about those agreeing to attend to judge in about a month.

There is still time to apply to be part of the America's Cup Debates. This open field is attracting some of the best debaters in the world. Application deadline for one of the 16 spots is the end of January. Send us your top 5 tournament finishes.
http://debate.uvm.edu/debateblog/usu2011/Americas_Cup.html

We are working on finalizing the budget for this large event. We are still seeking sponsors. Point us at any you know of and we are in discussions now.

More news to come!

Alfred Snider
Convener, US Universities Debating Championship 2011
http://debate.uvm.edu/debateblog/usu2011/
alfred.snider@uvm.edu

WDI Reports from World Debate Forum in Africa

2011-01-14T03:41:00.000-05:00

By Alfred Snider, WDI Director

The World Debate Forum was held for two days after the WUDC Botswana as an opportunity for those interested in promoting debate in their countries. The original idea was to have a good size group swap ideas, make presentations and network. The hopes were not met but the event was nevertheless a useful one.

The original idea was to have four different sessions, and in each of then have 3-4 presentations followed by questions, and also allow for break-out groups and other discussions. I worked hard to get presentations for my section (education and training) and did succeed in getting four presentations: Bojana Skrt of Slovenia on teacher training, Nur Asia of Malaysia on using debate to develop soft skills, Gavin Ilsley on debate training as a preparation for business consulting, and myself about training debaters (exercises and workshops). These were the only four presentations that took place.

There were 28 people but they represented 18 countries: Botswana, China, Ghana, Korea, Macedonia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Poland, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Slovenia, Tanzania, Uganda, United Kingdom, USA, Zambia and Zimbabwe. People from Macedonia, Poland, United Kingdom and USA had come as part of an Open Society Foundation/IDEA contingent. Logan and Ahyoung Kim were the organizers.

It did not start well as we were told we would leave WUDC at 1 PM, then it was delayed until 5 PM, and then they put us on the wrong bus, and then we took off for a location we did not even know of and that had been not announced. It was the Sedibeng Lodge at the end of a dirt road, and it was fine but without real internet and the restaurant was very understocked and often out of what you wanted. They did have a small pool but it looked a little too green for me.

On the first day Logan changed the start time again (something he seems to do a lot) and the first session was renamed to talk about competitive debate and he led the discussion. It ended up being about lots and lots of things. A spin off discussion about using the Internet was led by David Crane of Debatewise to promote OSI activities that are online. That was an interesting discussion and we heard that 2011 will be the year of the Internet video, but also from the African countries that they simply did not have the bandwidth for videos. I vowed to take a group of 50 videos that would be good for beginner training (we have 1785 debate videos online) and strip the picture out of them and make them available as simple sound files.

The afternoon discussion was led by Alex Dukalkis of IDEA/OSI and dealt with using debate for advocacy. I had to miss part of it to complete some vital emails about my courses starting when I get back, but did join in and shared our programs for public debates and our television advocacy program, Flashpoint.

That was the end of day 1. Bojana and I had been approached the day before by the cook who wanted to prepare us some local cuisine, and we had agreed on a dish. When I went to order it I was informed that she had not come to work that day. When we tried to order other things from the menu we were told they were all out. Frustrated, we got a cab and went to the famous Bull and Bush restaurant, which was a fantastic African barbecue place down at the end of a dirt road, and it was reasonable and very tasty. We came back and went to bed, still tired from WUDC I think.

Day 2 began with our session on debate education and training. Bojana did an excellent presentation about teacher training, which prompted a lot of questions from African debate organizers. I followed with a presentation of basic training exercises and drills along with a description of the "academy" (as in International Debate Academy Slovenia, and Iraq Debate Acaemy, Qatar Debate Academy, and many more). Nur Asia from Malaysia gave a very interesting presentation on the approach at Malaysia's International Islamic University and their program to build "soft skills" in students through debate. Gavin Ilsley of the UK then gave a presentation about using debate skills to engage in business consulting and training after university, and that led to a very interesting discussion about whether we were training ethical communicators or win at any cost competitors. Lunch came next, and after that a "catch all" session led by Logan where we tried to discuss other issues, but the event ended about an hour early as people did not seem to have much more to say. Some Africans expressed mild frustrations, as did I because so few people had organized presentations.

It certainly could have been better, but for my part I learned a lot from African debate organizers about their situation and the challnges they face, I shared my ideas about how to conduct debate training, and I made a lot of good network connections that might lead to some interesting African training opportunities later.

There was some talk about trying to organize another such event linked to WUDC Manila, but I am not sure about that. We shall see. As for me, I am all about doing what I can to promote debate in places were it is new or non-existant.

WDI Holds Debate Training Sessions in Ljubljana in December

2010-12-20T05:43:00.002-05:00

While staying in Ljubljana in preparation for heading down south to WUDC Botswana I was called on by those here in Slovenia to do some training. I was glad to do it as a representative of the World Debate Institute (http://debate.uvm.edu/debateblog/wdi/Welcome.html) because Slovenian debaters are very serious and very anxious to learn and I love to teach debating.

On Tuesday evening 14 December 2010 I met with the debate club at the Law Faculty of the University of Ljubljana. Urska Derganc (sorry, I lack the right characters) and Gregor Janzek lead the club, and invited me to do a presentation on "Build Better Arguments." There were about 30 people there, and some of them were not debaters, but who wanted to learn more so they will write better essays as well as write better legal arguments. I reviewed the problems most often found in inductive, deductive and causal arguments. Then I talked about how to build "thicker" arguments that are deeper and more substantive, using my new models for mechanical, organic and stakeholder arguments. Then, I talked about 12 different forms of support you can use for an argument. We ended by asking volunteers to give 3 minute speeches on an assigned motion to illustrate their use of these "thicker" techniques. 17 of the 32 or so volunteered and spoke. After that we adjourned to a nearby pub for discussion and the telling of tall tales.

On Thursday afternoon 16 December 2010 I went to Gymnasia Bezigrad to meet with high school debaters. EUDC ESL champion Maja Cimerman directs this club, and once again about 30 people showed up for a session on "How to Be a Dynamic Speaker." I did my usual talk about the three laws of dynamism and how to apply them to all facets of speech delivery, and then I added some new material I had developed for IDAS about what empirical research in persuasion shows are things to do and not to do while giving a speech. There was not time for an exercise, but the reception I received seemed warm and genuine. After that I had a farewell meeting with Maja and then trundled into a taxi.

On Saturday and Sunday December 18 and 19 December 2011 I met with the Slovenia world schools team that is preparing for a tournament in Istanbul as well as the upcoming World Schools Debating Championship that will be held in 2011 in Dundee, Scotland. On Saturday morning I did a "Principle" exercise with them where I would give each pair a motion and have them immediatekly tell me what the principle would be behind prop and opp. We did about 30 or more motions in a brief time. Then, we did a speaking exercise like the one at http://debatevideoblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/debate-exercise-speaking-drills-vermont.html where they get a motion and have to start talking immeditely while a panel of students evaluates their speaking on various features: language choices and crutch words, hands and body, voice and face and finally a general style rating and evaluation. This went really well and we decided to do it again the next day. Then we ended with a debate on "in some cases violence is justified to protect the environment." I was first opp speaker. It was a very spirited debate and afterwards Bojana delivered a long critique (in Slovenian). The next day we met again in the morning and I did a follow up series of speaking drills, this time capturing them on video. Each student would list the things they had done wrong the previous day, then I would give them a motion that they had to start speaking on immediately, and then a panel of students evaluiated them, all captured on video. Then we had a debate (in which I weas second opp speaker) on the motion, "China should adopt EU environmental standards." This was a difficult motion to debate, and they did a fine job. I was better than the day before. Again, Bojana delivered a long critique in Slovenian. This team is a very talented group but does have some rough spots. I know that with Bojana Skrt's relentless preparation they will make Slovenia proud.

Today, Monday, I prepare to leave for Botswana tomorrow. I hope they clear the snow in Frankfurt so flying south is possible!

Reporting from WUDC in Africa

2010-12-11T10:12:00.000-05:00

I leave early this afternoon. I am beginning one of the longer debate journeys of my life. Global Debate will be there with me, because it is me. Follow here and on Twitter (asnider) and Facebook (Alfred Snider). Thanks to WDI for symbolic sponsorship.

In Slovenia: debate workshops, events, pubic debates and more.

In Botswana: arriving at WUDC early to help in planning for the logistics of this event. Thanks to OrgComm for inviting me. Watch for reports as you wing towards Africa.

At WUDC Botswana: motions, events, gossip, breaks, bid news, results. Lots of videos that will end up on Debate Video (http://debatevideoblog.blogspot.com/). We will see how my digital service holds up in south central Africa.

At World Debate Forum in Botswana: people, topics, speculations, and also videos from this exciting post-WUDC event.

Post WUDC Tourism: Not so much news, but you never know what may happen when I get to the Kalahari Desert.

Back to Europe for a brief breather, then back to Vermont to start the next semester of debate competition in the Northeast USA.

Thanks for paying attention!

Vermont Wins IDAS 2010 Tournament

2010-11-28T11:44:00.000-05:00

Stephen Boyle with his team from Vermont, John Sadek and Jessica Bullock

John Sadek and Jessica Bullock have won the 60 team 24 country International Debate Academy Slovenia 2010 tournament held at the Faculty of Administration, University of Ljubljana in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Filip Dobranic and Maja Cimernan of Ljubljana, the reigning EUDC ESL champs, came second, other teams in the final Were Anna England Kerr and Crt Podlogar from Ljublljana along with the Serbian team of Goran Jankuloski and Pedrag Pevicevic from Belgrade. JUDGES:

Anne Valkering, Netherlands (chair), John Hampson, British Council, Loke Wing Fatt, Singapore, TJ Senamngern, Thailand and Maja Nenadovic, Netherlands.

Semifinals: bold go through

ROOM: AUDITORIUM

Kerr Podlogar 1O

Williams Eng 2O

Cimerman Dobranic 1P

Pitic Moscovici 2P

ROOM: 14

Dicu Gadeke 1O

Jankuloski Petricevic 2P

Sobocan Denkovski 1P

Sadek Bullock 2O

Quarterfinals: bold go through

ROOM: 2

1 Cimerman Dobranic, Slovenia/Ljubljana

16 Alexandrescu Sovaiala-Ionescu, Romania/Argo

8 Pitic Moscovici, Romania/Argo

9 Durrani Joyce, USA/St. John's

ROOM: 3

4 Kerr Podlogar, Slovenia/Ljubljana

13 Vignevic Cirovic, Serbia/Belgrade

5 Suleic Kolundzic, Serbia/Belgrade

12 Williams Eng, USA/Air Force Academy

ROOM: 4
2 Dicu Gadeke, Romania-Germany
15 Jutersek Polsak, Slovenia/Maribor
7 Jankuloski Petricevic, Serbia/Belgrade
10 Salapic Martinic, Croatia
ROOM: 5
3 Sadek Bullock, USA/Vermont
14 Sobocan Denkovski, Slovenia/Maribor-Cambridge
6 Vrecic Zitek, Slovenia/Ljubljana
11 Velikovski Georgievska, Macedonia

Speakers:
Position Name Team Total points Average

1 Maja Cimerman Cimerman Dobranic 481 80,16

2 Filip Muki Dobranic Cimerman Dobranic 479 79,83

3 Marietta Gadeke Dicu Gaeke 475 79,16

4 Eveline Dicu Dicu Gaeke 473 78,83

5 Goran Jankulovski Jankulovski Petricevic 472 78,66

5 Jessica Bullock Sadek Bullock 472 78,66

7 Anna England Kerr Kerr Podlogar 470 78,33

7 Serban Pitic Pitic Moscovici 470 78,33

9 Mlden Suleic Suleic Kolundzic 469 78,16

10 John Sadek Sadek Bullock 468 78,00

Motions:
1. THW require migrants wishing to have European citizenship to pass language and value tests.
2. This House would return national treasures to their country of origin
3. This House believes that adoption agencies that receve state funding should give priority to same sex couples and infertile couples.
4. This House would require large online social networks to be controlled democratically by their users.
5. This House would refuse to negotiate with kidnappers and hijackers.
6. This House believes that Roma should be recognized as the first transnational minority in the European Union.
Quarters.
THBT Arabic nations should stop selling oil to France until it removes restrictions on Islamic dress.

Semis. THBT the ECB should have veto power over member states budgets
Finals. THBT the free market does not make the workers free.

The oprogram is sponsored by ZIP Slovenia, World Debate Institute USA, European Union, Europe for Citizens Program and the law firm of Bickell and Brewer.

Breaking Teams at IDAS 2010

2010-11-27T17:49:00.002-05:00

60 teams pose before round one

Top 20 teams, top 16 advance to quarterfinals in the morning:

1. Cimerman Dobranic 15-960 Slovenia/Ljubljama
2. Dicu Gadeke 14-948 Romania/Germany
3. Sadek Bullock 14-940 USA/Vermont
4. Kerr Podlogar 14-935 Slovenia/Ljubljana
5. Suleic Kolundzic 13-932 Serbia/Belgrade
6. Vrecic Zitek 13-896 Slovenia/Ljubljana
7. Jankiloski Petricevic 12-939 Serbia/Belgrade
8. Pitic Moscovici 12-930 Romania/Argo
9. Durrani Joyce 12-917 USA/St. John's
10. Salapic Martinic 12-899 Croatia
11. Velkovski Georgievska 12-898 Macedonia
12. Williams Eng, 11-913 USA/US Air Force Academy
13. Vignjevic Cirovic 11-912 Serbia/Belgrade
14. Sobocon Denkovski 11-911 Slovenia/Maribor & Cambridge
15. Juterek Polsak 11-909 Slovenia/Maribor
16. Alexandrescu Sovaiala-Ionescu 11-902 Romania/Argo

17. Brach Krakowski 11-894 Poland
18. Lipovsek Arvaj 11-890 Slovenia
19. Weese Jager 10-911 Austria/Vienna
20. Duque Diaz 10-907 Venezuela/AUDAS
20. Bencik Fink 10-907 Slovenia

IDAS is sponsored by ZIP Slovenia and the World Debate Institute at the University of Vermont, with support from European Union and the law firm of Bickel and Brewer.

WDI Sponsored IDAS Moves Into Tournament Phase

2010-11-26T04:11:00.001-05:00

This is the view from the room at Hotel Spik where I was staying.

The International Debate Academy Slovenia instructional portion ended on Thursday night.

After a day of three lectures, nine exercise groups, twelve practice debates, ten electives and then twelve more rooms of practice debates, the day ended with the famous "Kitsch Party." Everyone came in their funkiest styles and Gavin Ilsley got his legs waxed (so his short skirt would look better) in an effort to raise money for breast cancer and prostate cancer research. I am sure there will be lots of photos later.

Friday morning buses will take everyone to Ljubljana for the tournament held at the Faculty of Public Administration at the University of Ljubljana. Some teams added, a couple had to go home, but we are looking at a field of 60 teams at roll call. Rounds one and two will be today, three through six on Saturday, and then elimination rounds on Sunday.

Stay tuned for all details.

Electives from First Two Days IDAS 2010

2010-11-23T04:08:00.000-05:00

IDAS 2010 is sponsored by ZIP Slovenia, the World Debate Institute at the University of Vermont, and the EU Europe for Citizens project.

People have asked me what all those electives (12 a day) from IDAS are. So, I thought I would post them from the first two days to give people ideas for training and also an idea of how we are training university students and teachers here.

ELECTIVES: IDAS 2010

SUNDAY

ELECTIVE 1 1500

Room: Jezerci

Principled argumentation - Boyle
Learn how to argue from a principled standpoint and make theoretical arguments more convincing.

Room: Spik

How to improve your Manner/Be an effective speaker - Loke

Tips on how you could improve your style as a speaker will be discussed. You will take home some useful ways to help yourself and others to become more effective, stylistically, as a public speaker.

Room: Gobela

Persuasive Appeals - Wright

Social science as a weapon of mass consumption. This lecture will address some of the more socially scientific visions of contemporary persuasion. Including some of these devices in a debate works to demonstrate the shared space between debaters, judges, and audiences.

Room: Elevator 3

Debating Technologies, Internet and Media – Zheng Bo

Discussion of How technologies shaped our life and our social network.

Room: Rute

Yugoslavia: Once Upon a Time, There Was a Country… - Nenadovic & Avbar

History, politics, culture and religion of a country that once was and is no longer. The elective pays special attention to the breakup of the country in the 1990s, the issues that arose in the process, and the (post-conflict) democratization processes as well as EU accession prospects for the countries formerly known as ‘Yugoslavia’.

Room: Elevator 2

Strategic style – Ilsley

Learning the value of a stylistic range and how best to deploy it

SUNDAY

ELECTIVE 2 1600

Room: Jezerci

EU Integration and expansion - Boyle
An exploration of the EUs expansion to date, and a discussion of the countries currently under consideration for accession.

Room: Spik

Multiculturalism in Singapore/Asia - Loke

This is a Content Lecture on how Singapore and Asian countries pursue multiculturalism in its politics, laws, and social norms. It will be useful for EU students to learn how people from Asian countries devise policies to accommodate the multiplicity of race, religion and language in their diverse populations.

Room: Rute

Yugoslavia – Part 2 – Nenadovic & Aybar

Contunies from part 1.

Room: Gobela

Narrative Reasoning – Wright

This elective discusses the persuasive form and function of narrative. Defining narrative reasoning and combining it with more traditional appeals to reason makes debaters more persuasive to various audiences.

Room: Elevator 3

Setting Cases for Gov and Opp – Zheng Bo

Discussions on how Opp avoid panicking and develop a coherent case to negate the Gov case in 7-min, and how Gov can well utilize their 15-min prep time to develop a case that is logically sound.

Room: Elevator 2

The lightning bug and the lightning – Ilsley

Word choice and framing in winning debates

MONDAY ELECTIVES

ELECTIVE 1 1500

Room: Gobela

Ecological Philosophies - Snider
There are philosophical perspectives on the relationship between human beings and the ecology that can help you create coherent, consistent and compelling arguments in debates about ecological issues. They range from very human-centered to very bio-centered. These can also help you, as an individual, determine what your relationship with the ecology is and how it should operate in your life as well as in debate.

Room: Rute

EU democratisation promotion policies – chances of success - Valkering

Room: Spik

Economics for debating - Boyle
Learn how to debate some of the most pressing economic issues of the day

Room: Jecerzi

How to find the "core issues" in a debate motion - Loke

This is an interactive session where the students will be guided to systematically discover the key ideas which should be given air time in a debate topic. Students will go away with some key concepts/questions they should ask when discovering "core issues" in a debate motion.

Room: Lobby 3

Speaker Roles and Team Strategies – Zheng Bo

Discussions about speaker roles and team strategies, with focus on the dynamic nature of BP debates.

Room: Lobby 2

Aristotelian rhetoric – Wright

The form and function of different rhetorical forms. Recognizing the particulars of a case and a motion, using the parameters set forth by rhetorical scholarship, debaters could prep more fluid and convincing arguments.

Room: AW 1

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM? – Nenadovic

Analyzing the debate motion in order to get a clear problem definition. Many governments fail to specify what the problem is that they are addressing, and in doing so, they miss to outline the relevance of the motion. This is a highly practical elective, where we will together take apart different debate motions, review problems inherent in those motions, and devise relevant government and opposition strategies.

ELECTIVE 2 1600

Room: Spik

Position & Treatment of the Roma in Europe - Nenadovic

Starting with the brief history of the Roma people in Europe, this electives covers the current biggest controversies relating to their position and treatment. This elective will discuss both the recent deportations from France and the rise of right-wing parties such as Jobbik in Hungary and the implications this has on the position of Roma, as well as the intended mechanisms of protection (such as the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, laws on protection of national minorities).

Room: Lobby 3

Debating China – Zheng Bo

Information and discussions about China, such as Mainland/Taiwan relationships, Tibet, China as World Factory, etc.

Room: Rute

EU and Asylym – Valkering

Asylum policies in the EU and how they work.

Room: Lobby 2

Histories – Wright

How historiography and the epideictic shape us. Considering the international flavor of Worlds-style debate, learning and applying historical narrative in a debate could establish credibility to various argumentation claims.

Room: Jecerzi

How to find Extensions - Loke

This lecture focuses on what is a valid Extension for the Second Teams and how to find a good one, without being told by the judges that you are just "repackaging" the Upper House. Students will take home strategies to discover a good Extension.

Room: Gobela

Needs and Motivation – Morgan

From Maslow to Max-Neef: a look at the classic

hierarchy of needs contrasted with conflicting models of need

satisfaction

WDI Europe Program Begins

2010-11-21T10:53:00.002-05:00

Debate - WUDC - Guaranteed Income - IDAS 2010 Exhibition from Alfred Snider on Vimeo.

With a total of 140 hearty souls on hand, the 8th International Debate Academy Slovenia has begun in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. The program is sponsored by Za in Proti Slovenia, the World Debate Institute at the University of Vermont, the law firm of Bickell and Brewer, and the EU Europe for Citizens Program.

The event will feature ten practice debates, fifteen lectures, fifteen debate exercise sessions, over thirty elective classes and a number of exciting social events. Participants have come from over 24 countries to this year's event.

The event kicked off with an exhibition debate on Saturday night on the motion, This House believes that all citizens should be entitled to a basic income without the requirement of work. The first proposition team was Anna England Kerr of Ljubljana University and Stephen Boyle of University College Dublin and the University of Vermont, the second proposition team was Jessica Bullock and John Sadek of the University of Vermont, the first opposition team was Gavin Ilsley and Rhydian Morgan of the UK's Stylus Communications, and the second opposition team was Filip Dobranic and Maja Cimerman of Ljubljana University (the reigning EUDC ESL champions).

The event is being held at the Hotel Spik, a beautiful mountain resort with breathtaking views of the Julian Alps as well as lovely work rooms, living rooms and delicious food.

The director is Bojana Skrt and the academic director is Alfred Snider. Faculty include Stephen Boyle, Gavin Ilsley, Rhydian Morgan along with Loke Wing Fatt of Singapore, Maja Nenadovic of the Netherlands, Jaime Wright of St. John's University in the USA, Zheng Boof Peking University in China, Anne Valkering of the Netherlands, TJ Senamengern of Assumption University in Thailand, Steve Llano of St. John's University in the USA. Peter Mesarec and Helena Felc of Slovenia are important parts of the program.

There is a group of some 20 trainers and teachers who are attending the additional trainers' workshop. They will learn the WUDC format, coaching and training skills, as well as judging. They will begin judging as the week goes on and will also judge at the tournament.

On Friday everyone will take buses to Ljubljana where a three day tournament will take place at the University of Ljubljana's faculty of administration. Other teams from around Europe will join those already at IDAS for a major central European tournament.

For more information, check out http://debate.uvm.edu/idas.html and http://internationaldebateacademy.blogspot.com/

We will have more information as the program advances.

Last Call for Intl Debate Academy Slovenia 2010

2010-10-31T20:41:00.002-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

This is a letter that Bojana Skrt sent to the 112 attendees of IDAS 2010.

There is still room due to our new luxurious hotel with indoor pool.

It is top instruction in the WUDC format and there will be an excellent tournament at the end. 

The price is very reasonable. Room and food included.

Organized by Za in Proti (ZIP) and World Debate Institute, University of Vermont.

Contact Bojana Skrt at bojana.skrt@siol.net 

============================

Dear all, 
We are very glad you decided to participate at IDAS 2010  and we are all looking forward to host you in Slovenia. With your help IDAS 2010 will again be a great event.  It seems this year IDAS with more than  100  participants and trainers from  20  countries: Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, China,  Croatia, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland,  Italy,  Kosovo, Macedonia, Netherlands, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, Thailand, Ukraine, USA, Venezuela, will be the biggest ever.  Please, check IDAS web page and blog for the program  and all updates. 
Website: http://debate.uvm.edu/idas.html 
Blogsite: http://internationaldebateacademy.blogspot.com/ 

CHANGE OF LOCATION The very important news is that due to the bigger number of participants we moved IDAS from Ormož to Kranjska gora, which is  the other part of Slovenia. Kranjska gora is 80 km north from Ljubljana, in Julian Alps, very close to Austrian and Italian border.  The venue is Hotel Špik in a small village 3 km before Kranjska gora, called Gozd Martuljek. The hotel is much better than the Hotel Ormož, it has an indoor pool and very nice working rooms.  So, do not forget to bring swimming clothes with you.  The rooms are 4-beds, 3- beds and limited number of 2-beds.

 
Here is the web address if you want to check the hotel, Kranjska gora and Gozd Martuljek:  
www.kranjska-gora.si/home 
www.gradtur.si/zima/slovenija/gozd_martuljek/hotel_Spik.html 
www.slovenia.info


Because we did move to Hotel Špik, we can still accept applications – so, please, share the information about IDAS with everybody who might be interested.

EU PROJECT Participants from: Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Italy, Macedonia and Slovenia participate at IDAS 2010 as part of project entitled “»DEBATE ANSWERING THE CHALLENGES OF IMMIGRATION AND MUTLICULTURALISM« supported by European Union’s Europe for citizens program. There will be a few additional events organized during IDAS because of this project. Consequently, there will be also lecture topics and some debate topics connected with immigration and multiculturalism issues, role of EU in the world and similar. And of course there will be lots of EU logos all around the venues.
SCHOLARSHIPS FUND Special thanks go to Bickell&Brewer foundation, which gave us 2000 EUR for scholarships, which was divided among 21 participants asking for scholarships. I am sorry for not being able to award all the participants seeking scholarships, due to the limited resources we have. I do hope you will be able to come anyway and would be able to get missing funds for some other donor.

More:
1. In case you can not come, please, inform me immediately – we need to know how many people are coming. .

2. Schedule
We start on Saturday, the 20th t – registration starts at 16.00, the programme starts at 20.00. We finish on Sunday, the 28th around 14.00.

2. IDAS 2010 tournament venues
In Ljubljana we will be staying in high school dormitory Dijaški dom Bežigrad, the adress. Kardeljeva ploščad 28, www.ddb.si, There are mainly three bed rooms. The dorm is 3 minutes walk from the tournament venue. The ones who are coming for tournament only – you can check in after 14.00 on Friday.
If you need an extra night in Ljubljana on Thursday or Sunday you need to make your own reservation. VERY IMPORTANT – YOU CAN NOT BE IN DIJAŠKI DOM BEŽIGRAD FOR EXTRA NIGHTS. You need to make reservations in some other hotels - there are plenty of low costs options in Ljubljana which can be booked via Internet.


The tournament will be held at Faculty of administration, University of Ljubljana, www.fu.uni-lju.si 

3. Registration fee  
The registration fee 250 EUR covers the whole Academy  -  from dinner on the 20th  to breakfast on Sunday, the 28th.

Tournament only
The registration fee for the ones who are coming only for the tournament is 60 EUR, it covers the accommodation and food from dinner on the 26th till breakfast on the 28th. You should plan your departure from Ljubljana in the afternoon.
The participation fee doesn't cover any extra nights. All the extra nights should be paid by you directly to the hotel. If you need an extra night in Hotel Špik in Gozd Martuljek, please, inform me about it and I will make the reservation.
Registration fee should be paid in cash at registration. In case somebody prefers to pay via bank transfer, please, let me know and I will send you our bank account info.
Everybody from Hotel Špik, Gozd Martuljek will leave together by rented bus from Hotel Špik to Ljubljana, no extra fee for this travel.

6.Travelling to Gozd Martuljek
There are buses for Kranjska gora from Ljubljana. You should go to Gozd Martuljek, Hotel Špik ask the driver to stop at the Hotel Špik. The other option is taking a train from Ljubljana to Jesenice and than in Jesenice taking a bus to Gozd Martuljek. If you are coming from Austria, you go from Villach to Jesenice, train or bus.
Here is the Ljubljana – Kranjska gora bus schedule: 06:30 a m , 07:30 a m, 09:30 a m, 10:30 a m. 12:30 p m 13:30 p m 14:30 p m 16:30 p m, it costs 8,75 EUR, it takes 2 hours.
Here is the Ljubljana – Jesenice train schedule: Ljubljana 06:50, Ljubljana 07:27, Ljubljana 09:27, Ljubljana 09:45 Ljubljana 11.26, Ljubljana 12:50 Ljubljana 14:41, Ljubljana 15:25, Ljubljana 15:33, Ljubljana 16:55, Ljubljana 17:50, Ljubljana 18:55, Ljubljana 20:48m, Ljubljana 23:50, it costs 6,75 EUR, it takes 1,20 minutes. Jesenice are 25 km away from Gozd Martuljek.
The last bus from Jesenice to Kranjska gora goes at 17.57, than taxi is an option.
If you want to book a special transport, especially from the airport, but can be done from Ljubljana train/bus station as well, you can send an email to borut.markun@siol.net – they do have vans and cars and doing pick us services. The same is true if you want to come from the airport to Ljubljana or vice versa.

7. Visas
In case you need visa for entering Slovenia and I didn't send you the visa invitation letter yes, please, contact me immediately – we do not have lots of time left.

8. COUNTRY EXHIBITION
It is the habit that we organize a country fair. This means you need to bring some items – food, drink, things, posters, music …. which present your country the most. More information about this and other social events will be given by our social directors Helena Felc and Gregor Janžek.

9. SMOKING 
Slovenia has very strict smoking law – you are not allowed to smoke at any public places, no restaurants, no hotel room – meaning you can only smoke outside.

10. WEATHER 
We are going to be in Alps, meaning can be cold, not necessarily, but can be bellow zero Celzius, can be snowy. But, it might be also still warm. Have this  in mind when packing.

11. WIRELESS 
I was told it is available at least in some parts of hotel. 

12. EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBER
Bojana  + 386 41423377

That’s it for now. If you have any additional questions, please, feel free to ask. Really looking forward meeting you all in Slovenia, Bojana 


--
Bojana Skrt 
direktorica 
Za in proti, zavod za kulturo dialoga 
Svetosavska 24, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija 
www.zainproti.com 
+386 (0)41 423377

WDI Sponsored Conference in Europe Concludes

2010-10-24T16:24:00.002-04:00

The Third International Conference on Argumentation, Rhetoric, Debate and the Pedagogy of Empowerment, Thinking and Speaking a Better World, concluded in Maribor, Slovenia on Sunday 24 October 2010. The conference featured scholars, experts and enthusiasts from nineteen countries.

During the sessions there were over 50 papers presented on a variety of topics. There were two keynote speeches, one by Debbie Newman (former president of the Cambridge Union, England and Wales debate champion, former head of the English Speaking Union's Centre for Speech and Debate, and world champion schools coach for England) from the UK on "The Noisy Classroom" and one from Sam Greenland (Sydney University, WUDC semifinalist, current World Debating Council President) on "Measuring Debate's Impact on Classroom Performance."

Eighty attendees spent three days sharing ideas, scholarship and fellowship while networking on future projects. A major panel discussion on "Cultural Variation - Debate and Argument" had participants from Yemen, Morocco, Hungary, Venezuela, Japan, UK and USA. There was a lavish banquet on Saturday night and productive discussions during the twenty panel sessions that were held.

Papers from this conference as well as the 2006 and 2008 events will be published in a volume entitled Thinking and Speaking a Better World edited by Alfred Snider of the University of Vermont and David Cratis Williams of Florida Atlantic University due out at the end of 2011.

Videos of many of the presentations, both keynotes, and the panel discussion on culture will be available in coming weeks at the conference websites.

There will be an announcement soon about the fourth and next conference.

Further details can be found at the conference websites:

Basic information at http://debate.uvm.edu/debateblog/better/Welcome.html

News blog at http://betterworldconference.blogspot.com/

The conference was organized by the Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor in Slovenia http://www.uni-mb.si/ , ZIP, Za in proti, zavod za kulturo dialoga/Pro et contra, institute for culture of dialogue http://www.zainproti.com/ , and the World Debate Institute of the University of Vermont http://debate.uvm.edu/debateblog/wdi/Welcome.html .

The organizers are grateful for the support of our sponsor QatarDebate http://www.qatardebate.org/ .

Thanks to organizers Boris Vezjak, Alfred Snider and Bojana Skrt. Special thanks to Peter Mesarec, Monica Sobocan and Aljoša Polšak.

WDI Sponsored Conference in Europe Announces Program

2010-10-15T15:47:00.000-04:00

From http://debate.uvm.edu/debateblog/better/Welcome.html, all details available here

Third international conference on argumentation, rhetoric, debate and the pedagogy of empowerment - thinking and speaking a better world

§ Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor, Slovenia (Oddelek za filozofijo, Filozofska fakulteta, Univerza v Mariboru, Slovenija),

§ World Debate Institute (University of Vermont USA)

§ ZIP (Za in proti, zavod za kulturo dialoga/Pro et contra Institute for culture of dialogue Slovenia)

Friday, 22nd October 2010

13.00 – 14.30 Registration, Lobby

14.30 Welcome Remarks from hosts and organizers, Main Auditorium
Dr. Lučka Lorber, Vice - dean of Faculty of arts, University of Maribor - host 
Boris Vezjak, University of Maribor - host 
Alfred Snider, University of Vermont, USA - organizer

15.00 - 17.00

Argumentation, room 1, chair Boris Vezjak, University of Maribor, Slovenia

Public Argument and Debate

§ “Climategate”: Good Science, Bad Arguments, and Problems for Public Discourse, Steven Woods, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, USA and Misa Haring, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, USA

§ Argumentation in the Online Media Debate on the Blogs, Ivanka Mavrodieva, Sofia University, Bulgaria

§ Rhetoric of B. Obama, Natalija Kocijan

§ Latino National Identity and the 2006 English as the National Language Debate, Donathan L. Brown, Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY, USA

Debate, room 2, chair, Korry Harvey, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, USA

Debate and Social Progress

§ Debate as agency: Preparing students for civic engagement, Allan Louden, Wake Forest University, USA

§ Debate as a tool for social progress, Arlan A. Narvaez R., Universidad Central de Venezuela, Venezuela

§ The role of trust in political culture when teaching debate: The Kosovo case study, by Leela Koening, Netherlands and Maja Nenadović, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands

§ Challenges of on-line deliberation: the case of Citizen's forum, Simon Delakorda, & Matej Delakorda , Institute for Electronic Participation (InePA), Slovenia

Pedagogy, room 3, Sam Greenland, University of Sydney, Australia

Argument and Debate in Different Social and Cultural Contexts

§ Critical Thinking in Indian High schools – the TIC experiment, Ameya Kilara and Aditya Verma

§ Debating and argumentation skills in the speaking strand of Qatari National English and Arabic Curriculum Standards: A critical review, Abdul Gabbar Al – Sharif, Qatar Debate

§ The critical social and political thinking and the methods of educating students in secondary level education, Georgios D Bikos, University of Athens, Greece

§ Attending the process in philosophical discussion, Rudi Kotnik, University of Maribor, Slovenia

17.00 – 17.30 Coffee break

17.30 – 19.30

Panel discussion: Cultural Variation and Debate, Main Auditorium, chair Alfred Snider, University of Vermont

Invited: Abdul Gabbar Al – Sharif, Abdel Latiff Selami, Debbie Newman, Arlan A. Narvaez R., Masako Suzuki Takahashi, David WIlliams

Saturday, 23rd October 2010

9.30 – 11.00 Presentations

Argumentation, room 1, chair Steven Woods, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, USA

Processes of Rhetoric and Argumentation

§ Pain as rhetoric: Photographic depictions of suffering as an argumentative strategy, Taylor Hahn, Clarion University of Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

§ Aesthetic Public Deliberation, Michael Bruner, Georgia State Univ., USA

§ Motivational Consubstantiation as Starting Points for Arguments of Rhetorical Identification: A Burkean Approach, David Cratis Williams, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA

Debate, room 2, chair Debbie Newman, UK

Explorations in Competitive Debating

§ Judging paradigms, Andrej Schulcz, Slovak Debate Association

§ Power pairing for Worlds Schools Debate Chamiponship, Alfred C Snider, University of Vermont

§ Assessing the role and use of international relations theory in competitive debate, Samo Novak, University of Leiden, Netherlands

Pedagogy, room 3, chair Sam Greenland, University of Sidney, Austalia

Active Methods in Different Learning Environments

§ Introducing a model for blending together traditional and modern teaching methodologies, George Yeoman, Slovenia/UK

§ Argumentative learning style of Arab learners of English as a second language, Abdel Latiff Selami, Qatar Debate, Qatar

§ Hosting competitive debates at the Faculty of arts in Ljubljana, Mirjana Želježič, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

11.00 – 11.30 Coffee break

11.30 – 13.00 Keynote, Main Auditorium
Debbie Newman, The Noisy Classroom: Thinking aloud

13.00 – 14.00 Lunch

14.00 – 15.30 Presentations

Argumentation, room 1, chair: Michael Lane Bruner, Georgia State Univ., USA

Fallacies

§ Logical Fallacies = Rhetorical Fallacies?, Monika Kavalir, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

§ Aristotle and »ad hominem« arguments, Boris Vezjak, University of Maribor, Slovenia

§ »Begging the question« in a philosophical argument - epistemic or pragmatic?, Danilo Šuster, University of Maribor, Slovenia

Debate, room 2, Allan Louden, Wake Forest University, USA

States of Debating in the USA

§ When classes collide – suburban and inner city debater, Chris Wheatly, Aspen Colorado Schools, USA

§ Failure in the public eye: The need for renewed engagement of the public sphere in academic debate communities within the United States, Taylor Hahn, Clarion University of Pennsylvannia, USA

§ Outcome based life choices: An outcome assessment comfirmation study measuring positive social outcomes beyond undergraduate experiences for participants and society in competitive intercollegiate debate, Jack E. Rogers, Department of communication, University of Central Missouri and Arthur Rennels, Interim Director of Forensics, University of Central Missouri, USA

Pedagogy, room 3, chair David Williams

New Approaches to Active Education

§ Critical understanding as an issue of problem solving in mathematics and physics education, Patronis Tasos, University of Patras and Rousiakis George, Greece

§ Numerical thinking, Simon Belak, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

§ Theory of knowledge versus debate – parallel universes or two sides of the same coin, Matus Kurian, Gymnazium Jura Hronca/Slovak Debate Association, Slovakia

15.30 – 16.00 Coffee break

16.00 – 17.30. Sam Greenland, Keynote, Main Auditorium

18.00 – 19.30 Presentations

Debate, room 1, chair Samo Novak, University of Leiden, Netherlands

Active Learning About Communities and Minorities

§ Debate as a praxis for global citizenship, Anja Šerc, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia and Alfred C Snider, University of Vermont, USA

§ An approach to analysis on discourse toward minority, Masako Suzuki Takahashi, Research Center for Foreign Language Education, Keio University, Japan

Debate, room 2, chair George Yeoman, UK/Slovenia

Encounter Society Through Debate

§ Youth understanding politics – how youth initiatives can create an impact in society with debate, Monika Sobočan, University of Maribor

§ Why do people start debating? Helena Felc, Slovenia

§ Debate as a tool response for Venezuelan situation, Alejandro Duque, Universidad Central de Venezuela

Pedagogy, room 3, chair Anja Šerc, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia/Za in proti, zavod za kulturo dialoga, Slovenia

Designing and Implementing Debating in Schools

§ Secondary schools debates with visiting experts or how to implement debate in the interdisciplinary approach of curriculum and empower youth for active citizenship, Romana Čemažar, Gimnazija ESIC Kranj, Slovenia

§ Culture of debate in High school Domžale, Sofija Baskarad, Srednja šola Domžale, Slovenija

§ Tayloring debate formats for your specific educational goals, Manuele de Conti, University of Padua, Italy

20.00 BANQUET
Sunday, 24th October

10.00 – 11.30 Presentations

Argumentation, room 1, chair David Cratis Williams, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA

Critical Thinking and Debate

§ Reason in the Balance: Teaching Critical Thinking as Inquiry, Sharon Bailin, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada and Mark Battersby, Capilano University, Vancouver, Canada

§ Rhetoric, oratory and philosophy in the debate, Cattani Adelino, Padua, Italy

Debate, room 2, chair Bojana Skrt, Za in proti, zavod za kulturo dialoga Slovenia

Debating Scenarios on Three Continents: Europe, East Africa and Japan

§ The transfer from debater to coach – how experienced debaters can contribute to the quality of high school debate education, Monika Sobočan, University of Maribor, Slovenia

§ Debate for Youth Empowerment in East Africa, Takako Mino, Claremont McKenna College, USA

§ Debate in Japan, Andrew Nishizaki, Japan

Pedagogy, room 3, chair Masako Suzuki Takahashi, Research Center for Foreign Language Education, Keio University, Japan

Using Debate in the Classroom

§ Teaching rhetoric at continuining education courses, Boštjan Debelak, Ljudska univerza Koper, Slovenia

§ Instructional Communication as a rhetorical process: political speech as a model of persuasion to be taught and studied, Irina Antonova, Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow, Russia

§ Active methods and debate in a classroom, Karlina Koželj, High school for tourism Celje, Slovenia

§ Debate in the classroom, successful experience in Venezuela, Arlan A. Narvaez R., Universidad Central de Venezuela, Venezuela

11.30 – 12.00 Coffee break

12.00 – 13.30 Presentations

Argumentation, room 1, chair David Cratis Williams, Florida Atlantic University, USA

§ Philosophizing Without Argument, Nenad Miščević, Central University Budapest, Hungary

§ Level of Generality as a Rhetoric Device, Katarzyna Kobos, University of Lodz

Debate, room 2, chair Steven Woods, Western Washington University,Bellingham, WA, USA

Different Paths to Debate in the USA

§ National policy debate circuit in U.S.A, Chris Wheatly, Aspen, Colorado Schools, USA

§ Debate as transformative experience, Amanda Feller and Kelly Ryan, Pacific Luthern University,

§ Negotiating expertise: Translating debate techne into community practice, Jeff Kurr and John Ried, University of Pittsburgh

Pedagogy, room 3, Allan Louden, Wake Forest University, USA

Training Citizens and Training Debaters

§ An argumentation and debate text book for not debaters: Understanding Argument: the journey from consumer to critic, critic to advocate, Korry Harvey and Paul Bingham, Western Washington University, USA

§ Training model: Debate academy, Alfred C Snider, University of Vermont, USA and Bojana Skrt, Slovenia

13.30 Closing, Main Auditorium

WDI Sponsors Conference in Europe

2010-09-06T16:25:00.000-04:00

The Third International Conference on Argumentation, Rhetoric, Debate and the Pedagogy of Empowerment -- THINKING AND SPEAKING A BETTER WORLD will take place in Maribor, Slovenia on October 22-23-24 2010. Full information can be found at http://debate.uvm.edu/debateblog/better/Welcome.html

The conference in sponsored by ZIP Slovenia, World Debate Institute USA and the University of Maribor.

We have some exciting news to share with you:

Boris Vezjak, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor, Slovenia has been working hard to host us, with Peter Mesarec assisting him.
We have over 55 papers from 19 countries accepted with more coming in and under revision.
The conference has a major sponsor, and we will announce the new sponsor as soon as the agreement is finalized.
The conference has a site for the next year, and it will be an exotic one. Again, as soon as the agreement is finalized it will be announced officially.
The sponsor will be publishing a book of accepted papers from the first three conferences (Koper, Ljubljana and now Maribor). If you would like to be a part of this publication, now is the time to act and submit an abstract.
Our three keynote speakers Rastko Mocnik, Debbie Newman and Sam Greenland have accepted and confirmed. Read about them at http://debate.uvm.edu/debateblog/better/Keynotes.html
Beautiful city, good hosting, stimulating colleagues all go together to make this an event not to be missed.

There is still time to submit an abstract and to be included in the conference. The program will be finalized on October 1 2010. See instructions on how to make a submission at http://debate.uvm.edu/debateblog/better/Submissions.html
If you have questions, please contact me, alfred.snider@uvm.edu .
See you there!

WDI Sponsored World Cup Online Debates To Begin

2010-09-05T12:28:00.003-04:00

International Video Debate 2010
View debates (beginning at the end of this week) at http://debate.uvm.edu/debateblog/worldcup/
News and results at http://worldcupdebates.blogspot.com/ (here)
Teams represent their nation in online debating contests against other teams and nations. The format is Australasian 3 on 3. The contest is sponsored by the World Debate Institute, Debate Central, and the new eDebating website coming in 2011.
In the Fall of 2010 a demonstration tournament will be held between eight different teams. The tournament will be double elimination until there is a champion. In 2011 a full and much larger tournament will be held. Judges will be provided by teams and recruited by the World Debate Institute.
When a match has been scheduled and a motion announced, the debate begins with the affirmative team posting its first speech video to http://vimeo.com. The opposition team then has 36 hours to post their responding speech. After all speeches are completed, assigned judges will watch the debate and render a decision without consensus.
Debates may take place in any language agreed to by the two teams, judges will be assigned who understand that language.
Teams for Fall 2010
These teams will be competing in the demonstration phase:
1. CORNELL UNIVERSITY, USA
2. UNIVERSIDAD ANDRES BELLO, CHILE
3. UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE, SERBIA
4. UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT, USA
5. COMUNIDAD DE DEBATE, VENEZUELA
6. ASSUMPTION UNIVERSITY, THAILAND
7. PEKING UNIVERSITY, CHINA
8. UNIVERSIDAD CENTRAL DE VENEZUELA
A Quick Glance at the Australs Format:
Australs format with no points of information. 
Rules for Australs have been taken from: http://www.londonaustrals.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50&Itemid=57
Here is a summary, but please notice that we will not have points of information in this format because the speeches are sequenced. These are three-person teams, and you can switch team members from debate to debate, but people should be members of your school/organization.
Australs features two, three-person teams taking opposite sides of a motion: the proposition side is called the affirmative, the opposition side is called the negative.
Teams get 36 hours to prepare and post their speech once the previous speech has appeared. A timer will be posted.
Speeches are eight minutes long.
Points of information will not be allowed.
Summaries happen after all six speakers have given their substantive speeches. Summaries are four minutes in length. The negative team delivers the first summary. Either the first or the second speaker may deliver the summary.
Decisions are arrived at by judges individually determining their choice of winner and then casting their vote, not consensus.
Motions:
Rounds 1-4
Now is the time for a Palestinian state.
Rounds 5-8
The press should show the full horrors of war.
Rounds 9-10
Everyone has the right to public nudity.
Rounds 11-12
Give development assistance only to nations with democratic governments.
Round 13
Substantially increase inheritance taxes.
Round 14
Governments should set a maximum wage.
Round 15 (if needed)
It is time to use military force in Somalia.
SEPTEMBER 2010 (judges will be assigned soon, the debate is judged after it concludes)
DEBATE 1 – LOSER TO A
AFF: Assumption Univ.
NEG: Peking Univ.
JUDGES:
DEBATE 2 – LOSER TO B
AFF: University of Belgrade
NEG: University of Vermont
JUDGES:
DEBATE 3 – LOSER TO C
AFF: Communidad de Debate
NEG: Cornell University
JUDGES:
DEBATE 4 – LOSER TO D
AFF: Univ. Central Venezuela
NEG: Univ. Andres Bello
JUDGES:
OCTOBER 2010
DEBATE 5
A:
B:
JUDGES:
DEBATE 6
C:
D:
JUDGES:
DEBATE 7 – LOSER TO F
WINNER OF DEBATE 1
WINNER OF DEBATE 2
JUDGES:
DEBATE 8 – LOSER TO E
WINNER OF DEBATE 3
WINNER OF DEBATE 4
JUDGES:
NOVEMBER 2010
DEBATE 9 – WINNER TO DEBATE 12
E:
WINNER OF DEBATE 5:
JUDGES:
DEBATE 10 – WINNER TO DEBATE 12
F:
WINNER OF DEBATE 6:
JUDGES
DEBATE 11 - LOSER TO G
WINNER OF DEBATE 7:
WINNER OF DEBATE 8
JUDGES
DEBATE 12 – WINNER TO DEBATE 13
WINNER OF DEBATE 9:
WINNER OF DEBATE 10:
JUDGES:
DEBATE 13 – WINNER TO DEBATE 14
G:
WINNER OF DEBATE 12:
JUDGES:
DECEMBER 2010
DEBATE 14 – LOSER TO H
WINNER OF DEBATE 11:
WINNER OF DEBATE 13
JUDGES
DEBATE 15 – IF UNDEFEATED TEAM LOSES
H:
WINNER OF DEBATE 14:
JUDGES:

Serbia Debate Academy Final Round

2010-08-23T16:48:00.000-04:00

Debate - WUDC - Sex in Advertising - Serbia Debate Academy Final 2010 from Alfred Snider on Vimeo.
This is the final round of the Serbia Debate Academy 2010.
Motion: This House would ban all advertising that uses sex to sell.
First prop: Victor Prija & Slobodan Trivic
First Opp: Teo Radetic & Marko Krajnc
Second Prop: Petros Papaliardis & Fabian Farkas
Second Opp: Goran Januloski & Tijana Mijalkovic (first place)

The Serbia Debate Academy 2010 was sponsored by Open Communication Serbia, World Debate Institute at University of Vermont USA (worlddebateinstitute.blogspot.com/), the USA Department of State and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Find the tournament results at
globaldebateblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/university-of-belgrade-wins-serbia.html
and also at
debate.uvm.edu/usudc/sda2010/

WDI Uses Debate to Help Chinese Students Bridge to the USA

2010-08-23T16:19:00.001-04:00

Students from China who participated in the "bridge" program stand in from of the Vermont state capitol

A program sponsored by the University of Vermont and Kaplan Centers has brought 28 Chinese students to the University of Vermont for a ten week program. These students prepared last year to study this fall in USA universities, and this "bridge" program in the USA at the University of Vermont was designed to complete that process before the students enroll at the university in the fall.

Continuing Education at the university was involved in designing and implementing the program, and thought that a great last step in this program would be to teach them how to debate. Thus, they called on the World Debate Institute to design and implement a program for the last week of the bridge summer term. "It seemed clear to them and to me," said instructor Alfred Snider of the World Debate Institute, "that if they can debate, then they should also be able to participate in the classroom, asking and answering questions, making presentations and participating in seminars. After being in debates where your positions get attacked logically and where you have to answer difficult questions, most classroom situations will be something that they can handle."

The students learned the World Universities Debating Championship format, engagedf in public speaking, argument construction and related drills, and then participated in four debates. "I think it was learning the brainstorming process that may have helped them the most, because they saw academic creative thinking as it should be -- logical and organized. Plus, they were pretty good at it," said Snider.

The program used undergraduate debaters as tutors and also created friendships and bonds between students that will help them get oriented in a new environment. "I hope some of them will join the debate team," said program English tutor and star debater Sarah Anders, "and several of them have already indicated that they will."

There are plans next year to expand the program and include college bound high school students as well.

WDI Assisted Debate Academy in Serbia Concludes

2010-08-14T07:26:00.001-04:00

Finalists: Goran, Fabian, Petros, Slobodan, Viktor, Marko; Tijana and Teo in front

The Serbia Debate Academy was sponsored by Open Communication Serbia, The World Debate Institute at the University of Vermont, the US Department of State and the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe. It concluded with a tournament on Friday.

It was quite an international event, with debaters from Serbia, Greece, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Romania and the USA. The final round involved students from Serbia, Greece, Germany and Slovenia. But the Serbs prevailed.
Goran Januloski and Tijana Mijalkovic won in front of the entire crew and a seven judge panel chaired by Stephen Boyle from Ireland. The team of Petros Papalianos and Fabian Farkas placed second. The other two teams were Marko Krajnc and Teo Radetic of Slovenia and Victor Prija and Slobodan Trivic.
Semifinal Results:

BUSINESS TIME (1) 1OPP advances (0n 3-2 vote over 1st Prop)

HONEYBUNNY & BOOBEAR (USA) (4) 1PROP

ALPSKI SRBI (5) 2^ND PROP advances

FRANZ FERDINAND (Austria) (8) 2OPP

JUDGES: MILAN (CHAIR), MANOS, MARKO, JOVANA, NEBOJSA

MINDEDJ (Serbia) (2) 1OPP

BAILOUT BASTERDS (3) 1PROP advances

=3 (6) 2PROP advances

WE HATE CUPCAKES (Serbia) (7) 2OPP

Speaker Awards:

1	Goran Jankoloski	Business Time	476	79.33
2	Teo Radetic	Alpski Srbi	467	77.83
3	Tijana Mijalkovic	Business Time	466	77.66
4	Marija Simic	Mindedj	464	77.33
5	Fabian Farkas	Bailout Basterds	455	75.83
6	Petros Papalianos	Bailout Basterds	452	75.33
7	Stefan Milic	Mindedj	451	75.16
7	Jessica Bullock	Honeybunny & Boobear	451	75.16
9	Emily Barkdoll	Honeybunny & Boobear	450	75.00
10	Viktor Prija	=3	443	73.83
10	Mihai Alexandrescu	Mocanu-Alexandrescu	443	73.83

Results can be found at http://debate.uvm.edu/usudc/sda2010/
Motions were:

1. THW ban all pornography

2. THBT Serbia should immediately recognize Kosovo

3. THW tax tobacco and alcohol no more than other consumer goods

4. TH supports the outing of gay public figures.

5. THBT EU should only consider economical factors when admitting new member states

6. THW tax religious organizations the same as businesses.

s. THW give citizens below the poverty tine two votes.

f. THW ban advertisements that use sex to sell products

WDI Session Begins in Serbia

2010-08-09T09:37:00.000-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

In the cool mountains of southern Serbia, in a tiny town call Brzece, the 2nd annual Serbian Debate Academy has begun. The instruction is in English and Serbian, for university students, and the debate format used is WUDC. The program is sponsored by Open Communication Serbia, the World Debate Institute of the University of Vermont, the US Department of State and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

The first night featured a welcome and then a demonstration debate on the motion, This House belieces that governments should hide evidence of contact with extraterrestrials. The debate featured famous Irish debater Stephen Boyle and Slovenian debater Anna Kerr as first prop, Serbian stars Milan Vignevic and Marko Cirovic (cleared at ESL WUDC and ESL EUDC) as first opp, WDI director Alfred Snider along with Manos Moschopoulos (top ESL debater in the world at last WUDC) as second prop, and reigning WUDC ESL champions Maja Cimerman and Filip Dobranic as second opp.

The first three full days will have two lectures, an exercise period, elective classes (students pick from five offered each day) and two critiqued practice debates each day. The event takes place in a lovely mountain valley in three small ski lodges with some debates and other events taking place by babbling springs and lovely trees. The program is divided into beginner and advanced tracks in English, a judge training track and a Serbian language debate track.

The program will end with a six round tournament, semifinals and finals. Evenings are full of frivolity and good times as is traditional at Serbian debate camps.

Watch for videos of lectures and debates along with the tournament results.

Attendees are from Serbia, Slovenia, Greece, Germany, Austria and the USA.

Debate - WSDC - Income Gap vs. Economic Growth - WSDA 10 Final

2010-07-14T03:59:00.002-04:00

Debate - WSDC - Income Gap & Economic Growth - WSDA 2010 Finals from Alfred Snider on Vimeo.

In the final round 5-0 Team A (Heather Pickerell, Matus Bachen, Jaroslav Leitmann) triumphed in a split decision over 4-1 Beyond Perfect (Mojca Jutersek, Petra Komat, Lenka Habetinova).

WDI Europe Schools Program Concludes

2010-07-14T03:47:00.001-04:00

View from window at the site

Eighty-six people came from eleven countries to engage in an extremely intensive week of debate training at the Second World Schools Debate Academy in Slovenia, sponsored by Za in Proti, the World Debate Institute and the USA Embassy in Slovenia.

The days were full and everyone was kept busy. Students were divided into two groups based on experience and there was also a fairly large group ot teachers who had come for training and they had separate sessions most of the time. Morniong would begin with lectures for each of the three groups. Intensive exercises and drills followed on the theme of the lecture for both student groups. Teachers received additiopnal instruction, often on how to train and methods to use. Then, just before lunch, there would be a one-hour elective on either debating techniques or content areas. After lunch there would be additional electives or time to prep for a motion upcoming. After dinner there would be a practice debate, though on some days they were in the afternoon. About 9:30 or 10 PM things would wind down, depending on the schedule of the World Cup, in which case it might end earlier.

The faculty included:

Stephen Boyle, now coach at University of Vermont, Irish Times National Champion, quarterfinalist at WUDC Cork debating for University College Dublin, winner of Hart House and Yale tournaments.
Maja Cimerman, member of the Team Slovenia at Worlds Schools Debate Championship 2006, 2007 (EFL World Champion WSDC Korea, and second speaker ESL at World Universities Debating Championship in Turkey 2010, faculty member at WSDC-Mini ion Qatar 2010.
Filip Dobranic, member of the Team Slovenia at Worlds Schools Debate Championship in 2006, 2007, 2008 (Top EFL speaker at WSDC 2007 Korea and 2008 USA, EFL World Champion WSDC 2007 Korea and 2008 Washington) and first speaker EFL at World Universities Debating Championship in Turkey 2010.
Megan Harlow, European Graduate School, USA. Experienced international trainer back from Iraq Debate Academy, USA national novice policy debate champion.
Anna Mojca England Kerr, member of the Team Slovenia at Worlds Schools Debate Championship 2006, 2007 (EFL World Champion WSDC Korea).
Rhydian Morgan, Great Britain, Chief Adjudictor at numerous tournaments and trainer, faculty member at WSDC-Mini in Qatar 2010.
Samo Novak, Slovenia, former top speaker at IDAS and Slovenia WSDC member.
David Register, University of Vermont, USA, award-winning coach, breaking judge at US Universities Debating Championship 2009.
Bojana Skrt, Za in proti, zavod za kulturo dialoga, Slovenia (EFL Worlds Champion Coach WSDC Canada, Korea, USA; ESL Worlds Champion Coach WSDC Qatar 2010), faculty member at WSDC-Mini in Qatar 2010.
Alfred C. Snider, University of Vermont, USA, award-winning coach, faculty member at WSDC-Mini in Qatar 2010.
Anja Šerc, Za in proti, zavod za kulturo dialoga, Slovenia, Faculty at WSDC-Mini in Qatar 2009.
Vanja Vrecic, Slovenia, member of WSDC world champion EFL team.
Ruth Zisman, Doctoral Fellow at New York University, USA, award-winning coach.
Barbara Zitek, Slovenia, star university debater.

Top ten speakers

A five round tournament followed with prepared and impromptu motions. Top speakers were:

Heather Pickerell, Hong Kong/USA
Lenka Habetinova, Czech Republic
Lea Benk, Germany
Jernej Fink, Slovenia
Mojca Jutersek, Slovenia
Zoran Fijavz, Slovenia
Eman Al-Musleh, Qatar
Ann-Catrin Spranger, Germany
Anna-Lisa Funk, Germany
Mary Gonzalez, USA

First place team (top), Second place team (bottom)

In the final round 5-0 Team A (Heather Pickerell, Matus Bachen, Jaroslav Leitmann) triumphed in a split decision over 4-1 Beyond Perfect (Mojca Jutersek, Petra Komat, Lenka Habetinova).

The location was extremely beautiful, nestled in the Julian Alps in the small ski resort of Kransjka Gora. The incredible views and the charming little Slovenian village added immeasurably to the event.

Everyone looks forward to another great event next year.

http://debate.uvm.edu/wsda.html

Full results at http://debate.uvm.edu/dcpdf/wsda10fulltab.pdf

WDI Ramps Up for Two European Events

2010-07-02T06:33:00.000-04:00

Street scene in Kranska Gora, Slovenia

From Alfred Snider:

Hello from Ljubljana, Slovenia. I am here for a couple of events sponsored by WDI and our partner, Za in Proti (NGO for debate in Slovenia).

First is this weekend in Ljubljana, and it is the Former Yugoslavia Debate Conference. Students and teachers from Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Slovenia will be gathering for training and talks on future cooperation. While not a long event it is a great opportunity for everyone to network for the future and gain some instruction.

On Monday I go to Kranska Gora up near the borders with Italy and Austria for the second World Schools Debate Academy, also sponsored by ZIP and WDI along with the USA Embassy. I will be joined by WDI regulars David Register, Ruth Zisman, Megan Harlow, Rhydian Morgan and Stephen Boyle for a workshop in the WSDC format for about 80+ people from 10 different countries. This will be a one-week affair, and promises to be one of the most intense debate workshops yet. There will also be a goodly number of teachers and trainers there (about 20 I am told) for instruction. For more info go to http://debate.uvm.edu/wsda.html

I will report on these events regularly.

Changes in Summer Schedules for WDI Sessions

2010-06-14T12:38:00.000-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

There have been some changes to WDI schedules. Please note:

The July-August World Schools Debating Workshop in Burlington has been cancelled.

The World Schools Debate Academy to be held in Slovenia is on 5-12 July 2010. Information can be found at http://debate.uvm.edu/wsda.html

WDI will also be sponsoring the Serbia Debate Workshop to be held in Serbia 8-14 August 2010. For information contact Milan at matuljak@gmail.com

Also, you might be interested in the related offerings at the University of Vermont, the East Debate Institute, with sessions in policy debate and WUDC debate. Find information at http://debate.uvm.edu/edi.htm

WDI Organizes Avatar Debate in Virtual Reality

2010-04-14T12:49:00.001-04:00

The avatar of Alfred Snider stands in the debating chamber

Avatar Debating comes to you via the Internet on April 20, 2010. The debate will begin at 8 PM Eastern Time in the virtual world SecondLife.

The debate will take place in the WUDC format. The motion: This House would censor the Internet.
Teams:
First proposition team: Cornell University
First opposition team: Comunidad de Debate Venezuela
Second proposition team: University of Vermont
Second opposition team: St. John's University (NY)

In order to be part of the crowd you will need to:

Start your journey early.
Login to SecondLife at http://www.secondlife.com.
Create a membership, keep the fake money they give you.
Create an avatar for yourself. Do not spend too much time on this, or do it well in advance, as it can be quite fun.
Teleport to http://slurl.com/secondlife/Emgeetee/129/84/25 or...
Teleport by searching for St. John's University and go there.
Go through the main door and lobby and the debating chamber will be on your left as you reach the fountain.
Come early enough to get in, last time the room was full and many could not gain entrance.
If all else fails, just take a swim on the beach in front of the building.

The debate is being organized as a demonstration of how virtual reality technology can create opportunities for debate involving people from various parts of the world in real time at no cost. There will be a follow up debate on May 4. The April 20 debate will be taped and offered for on-demand viewing later.

Thanks to St. John's University for allowing us to use their space. The debate is also being organized by the World Debate Institute at the University of Vermont.

The press can contact:
Steve Llano, St. John's University (NY) llanos@stjohns.edu
Alfred Snider, University of Vermont alfred.snider@uvm.edu

WDI Holds Workshop in Japan

2010-01-27T11:19:00.000-05:00

Students work with Bojana Skrt on their affirmative cases

Prof. Narahiko Inoue in his office full of debate books

The World Debate Institute at the University of Vermont in cooperation with Prof. Narahiko Inoue and Kyushu University are holding a four-day policy debate workshop in Fukuoka, Japan.

The workshop is for beginners and is debating the national Japanese policy topic, that Japan should terminate the Japan-US security treaty. The workshop is being led by WDI Fellows Bojana Skrt of Slovenia and Alfred Snider of WDI USA.

"The students are very enthusiastic but policy debate can be challenging for new debaters. Four days isn't a lot of time but they seem to be warming to it quickly and showing a lot of knowledge and skill," said Snider.

The program is a continuation of previous programs sponsored by Kyushu University that have included a Bioethics Debate Tournament as well as a parliamentary debate workshop taught by Loke Wing Fatt of Singapore.

POLICY DEBATE WORKSHOP

KYUSHU UNIVERSITY

Friday (1/22)

13:00 - 14:30. Session 1. What is debate, why is it important? Snider

14:50 - 16:20. Session 2. Elements of Debating & Exercises Snider

16:40 - 18:10. Session 3. Debate Education in Europe and the USA Skrt & Snider

Saturday (1/23)

8:40 - 10:10. Session 4. Stock Issues & Duties of the Speakers

10:30 - 12:00. Session 5. Argumentation & Exercises

lunch break

13:00 - 14:30. Session 6. Notetaking, Organization & Exercises

14:50 - 16:20. Session 7. Affirmative Strategy Theory

16:40 - 18:10. Session 8. Affirmative Strategy Exercises

Sunday (1/24)

8:40 - 10:10. Session 9. Negative Strategy

10:30 - 12:00. Session 10. Negative Strategy Exercises

lunch break

13:00 - 14:30. Session 11. Cross Examination & Exercises

14:50 - 16:20. Session 12. Work with instructors on Affirmative Cases

16:40 - 18:10. Session 13. Work with instructors on Negative arguments

Monday (1/25)

8:40 - 10:10. Session 14. Practice debate session

10:30 - 12:00. Session 15. Exhibition debate and invite the public.

WDI Sponsored Iraq Debate Academy Comes to Successful Close

2009-12-20T12:07:00.003-05:00

Mesopotamia Debating Tournament Champions: Sara Mustafa, Mohammed Ali, Sayran Ibrahim, Read Ahmed

Second Place: Bayad Jamal Ali, Safa Fudhl, Arevan Kamaran, Enji Issa

Band of Adventuring Debate Trainers: Jason Jarvis, Megan Harlow, Alfred Snider, Bojana Skrt, Matt Stannard, Jonathan Borock

The World Debate Institute at the University of Vermont has been proud to partner with Za In Proti national debate program of Slovenia and Iraq Debate to make this wonderful program possible.

We did not have dinner with the governor of Duhok last night as it was rescheduled for tonight. Apparently a major political figure passed away, someone who had been a judge and a member of parliament and who had been an activist who had been imprisoned by the previous regime for fifteen years. I also learned that the dancing that was to accompany the dinner would not be appropriate but that it would happen this evening.

Each day it seems as if people arrive more and more on time. I am not sure that is whether they know we will be on time or whether they are more motivated, but it is a good development. We had the posting of the practice debate at 9:00 AM and the debate started at 9:30 and it all went off without a hitch. The debate this morning was about the abolition of the death penalty in Iraq and I saw a most interesting debate. I would say that 95% of speech time was filled and that the students were quite engaged. The arguments seemed to cover the usual gamut, but also had quite an Iraqi flair to them. Should Saddam have been left to live so that he could encourage ex-Baathists to stop their violence or should be have bee executed as a lesson to future dictators? If a murderer is not executed but incarcerated would the family of the victim take revenge on a family member of the perpetrator? I really enjoyed it and they seemed most attentive to my comments after the debate.

We immediately moved to round one of the Mesopotamia Debate Tournament. Each team was supposed to have turned in their new configurations for the tournament, and we had hopes that some would not debate so that we might be able to avoid flighting the rounds, which the schedule would not allow. It turned out, however, that only a few teams dropped. So, we had to drop from three preliminary debates to two so that each of 18 teams of four we had could debate twice, and that would be fair to all. However, when the pairings were posted two teams indicated they were not there but should be, and that was because they had not indicated that they would debate in the tournament. One simply did not understand the announcement about it, and the other tam had been reminded by me before the practice debate but simply forgot to turn in their intention form. It was too bad, but there was nothing I could do. Then, it became clear that two teams had turned in TWO intention forms with different team names, so we were able to put all teams who wanted to debate into the tournament.

The first tournament round took place before lunch but without a critique. We had our usual lunch and then the teams returned to their rooms to near a long critique and then also spend some time with the faculty talking about the motions for the next day.

We went back to the hotel for a short rest and then at 6:30 PM we were met by Muhammad and others to go to the guesthouse of the governor of the Duhok Province. His Excellency Governor Ramadhan. It was a large and modern building overlooking the lake created by the Duhok Dam. As we entered we were greeted by our good friend Mamoud who had helped us so much during the entire event. He was wonderfully dressed in a traditional Kurdish outfit and most of the men wanted one because it seemed so comfortable as well as being smart. We entered and were served drinks and appetizers, which were excellent. Others were also gathering, but it was clear that this event was mostly for us. The appetizers seemed huge and delicious and many of us thought that this was the meal. Then there was lamb and chicken on skewers and that was excellent. Then a huge display of plates of delicious food was set up. Wow.

We carried on some excellent discussions with the Governor, Mr. Ramadhan, who was very curious about the progress of the project. He then asked us for ideas of how we should move forward. We proposed to him a Middle East Debate Academy that had student training but also teacher training as an important component. As a very safe region Kurdistan would be an excellent location. He said that his government would be very interested in seeing such a proposal within two days and that he would formally endorse it so that we could begin seeking funding and support from other groups to go long with his substantial support.

It was a very exciting evening.

The next day was the lone and a busy one. We had three debates, with one of them being the grand final. Students arrived on time and obviously had spent a lot of time preparing for the motions. The debates were serious and showed the real progress that the students have been making.

During lunch I tallied the results and announced the two finalists – University of Kurdistan Hawler and American University International Sulemaneya. The finals was held in a beautiful chamber in the Social Center of the University of Duhok. The debate was judges by Matt Stannard of Wyoming, Megan Harlow of Bard College & the European Graduate School, along with Jonathan Borock of the NYC Debate Society. Jason Jarvis of Georgia State University was the chair. The motion was:

THIS HOUSE BELIEVES THAT DEVELOPED COUNTRIES SHOULD NOT ACCEPT THE MIGRATION OF SKILLED PROFESSIONALS FROM DEVELOPING NATIONS. AUI proposed and Kurdistan opposed.

Then it was time to crown the Mesopotamia Debating Tournament champion. By a 2-1 decision the winner was the University of Kurdistan: Sara Mustafa, Mohammed Ali, Sayran Ibrahim, Read Ahmed. Second place went to American University International: Bayad Jamal Ali, Safa Fudhl, Arevan Kamaran, Enji Issa.

The Top Eight Speakers were:

1. SARA MUSTAFA UKH (154)

2. SAYRAN IBRAHIM UKH 150.5

3. AREVAN KAMARAN AUI-S 150

4. HALA MAMDOH DUHOK AHANG 149

5. HAMZEN YOUSIF DUHOK 10 148

6. ARREBA ZOMAYA DUHOK 10 147

7. ZEEN SAEED TAHA DUHOK AHANG 146/504.5

8. NAZDAR ALI HUMAN RIGHTS 146/497

Each student who completed the program received a signed certificate of accomplishment along with a CD full of resource materials and instructional videos.

There was a surprise speech by the Deputy Governor of the Duhok province who announced publicly that there will me a Middle East Debate Academy held in Kurdistan. We were very surprised since the idea had just been floated the night before, and we took it as a sign of the strong support of the provincial government for what we have done.

There were countless photos, address exchanges, farewells and even a few tears.

And then it was over.

One thing is very clear, debate is here, the people of Iraq are ready for debate as an alternative to violence, and hopefully this will make a positive difference.

I know that I have learned a huge amount, that I have been honored and humbled by these students and the organizers and that I will certainly never be the same.

Day 1 at WDI Sponsored Iraq Debate Academy

2009-12-20T12:03:00.001-05:00

Muhammad Ahmad delivers welcome at opening session

Over 80 students from seven major universities from all around Iraq attended the first day sessions at the Iraq Debate Academy 2009 held in Duhok, Iraq. There were Shia, Sunni, Kurd, Chaldeans and many more as all major ethnic groups were represented. The program is sponsored by iraq Debate, Za In Proti national debate program of Slovenia, and the World Debate Institute of the University of Vermont.

The opening ceremonies featured a welcome speech by Muhammad Ahmad, director and founder of the program, followed by speeches from the President of host Duhok University and also the Mayor of Duhok. Later the governor of the province of Duhok within the Kurdistan Regional Government dropped by to wish his best and send congratulations to the organizers.

Bojana Skrt of Slovenia, who had been delayed in Amman, arrived today.

Alfred Snider of the World Debate Institute at the University of Vermont delivered a short opening speech about the progress of debating throughout the world and discussed empirical evidence about the value of debating in skills in professional and personal life. This was followed by Jason Jarvis, former director of the Asian Debate Institute and now a doctoral students at Georgia State University, who reviewed the format for practice and competition.

Students were divided into groups for activities in public speaking and delivery. After a delicious lunch (it really was delicious!) it was back to small groups for instruction on argument building and refutation. This was followed by extended periods of small group brainstorming on the motion for the first practice debate, THIS HOUSE BELIEVES THAT UNIVERSITY EDUCATION SHOULD NOT BE FREE.

Tomorrow students will form teams and be in their first practice debate, many of them for the first time.

Faculty were impressed by the enthusiasm and interest showed by all of the students. Some were naturally apprehensive about their first debate on Monday, but the vast majority of them had to be held back from debating right away.

More after tomorrow.

Days 2 & 3 at WDI Sponsored Iraq Debate Academy

2009-12-20T11:59:00.000-05:00

Group photo on day 3

Hello from Duhok, Iraq.

With any debate program that is primarily for new debaters and people debating for the first time, there is some attrition. People discover that they will actually have to give speeches and that they will have to debate each other on a variety of subjects, some of them about which they hold strong opinions. I am not sure why they think they will not have to speak at a debate workshop, but there are always a few that are surprised. This is one of the reasons why I think day two of any such program is very important. Because I want to see what will happen.

We had about 84 students attend the first day, and almost the same number came the second day. Some did fade away, but as many came for the first time on day two as vanished. This was very encouraging. It tells me that we are doing a good job of introducing them to debate in a friendly and non-0threatening way, but it also speaks about their courage and determination. We did have one team who said they were very interested in debating, but not interested in sitting through instruction sessions in how to debate. This seemed strange to me, but they were very firm in this, and walked out when we tried to get them to go to a session on basic proposition strategy. They demanded to be scheduled for the debate the morning of day three, and they were, but they did not appear and I replaced them with another team that was there and anxious to debate. I knew from the beginning that their claims sounded hollow, and that is how it worked out. My organizational partners were sad to see them go because they were members of a key ethnic minority and one of the missions here is to bring the different parts of Iraq together.

Day two began with the formation of teams. People gathered and mixed, and then they had formed four-person teams they came to me with the list of names and I gave them a tem number. As soon as I had a decent amount of teams I began assigning them to sides and rooms. They had all prepared the day before on the motion; This House believes that university education should not be free. We phrased it this way because currently in Iraq it is free. I hate having “not” on the motion but I wanted the proposition team to oppose the Iraqi status quo. We had spent time the first day brainstorming and preparing major arguments for this motion. The bus from the hotel where students not from the area was a bit late, but still we had all debates assigned by the scheduled start time. Many of you know that I really want things to run on time (and with Bojana in the group she demands it) and that some say that in this culture people are just not on time. At lunch we had this conversation with the students, and they got better. Teams that arrived after we had a full slate of debates (the workshop was designed for about 50 students, so 80+ puts a strain on things) were assigned to be judges for the existing debates. I think that the teams who were really anxious and ready to debate who showed up too late to get a debating slot learned a lesson from this. As I often say, those who show up run the world.

The first debates were a mixed bag. Some went well and people spoke for their full time, some others did not speak for their full time, and a few had people terrified to speak but we encouraged them and got them to speak and make at least some arguments, telling them that they will get better as the workshop goes on. The arguments that they used were fairly creative and I was encouraged on that account. The debate was followed by a long critique by the faculty. I want to say here that everyone on the faculty is doing a great job. They are patient, they are considerate and they are effective. We all feel like we need to learn from them as well as teach, and especially the Americans do not want to be too dominating because of the USA-Iraq past. They are, in my mind, a “band of heroes,” people who bought their own plane tickets to come here out of a devotion to debating and faith in the young people of Iraq. Jonathan Borack of NYC Debate, Megan Harlow of Bard College, Jason Jarvis of Georgia State University, Bojana Skrt of ZIP Slovenia, Matt Stannard of the University of Wyoming are all great. I am proud to be among them. The students did not really know about this, so during the lunch announcements I explained to the students that we were volunteers who were not being paid and had covered our own travel. We are volunteers just like they are.

I had made several appeals for funding to former debaters who I know have the wherewithal to spare some funds, and while they were all encouraging none of them came up with any money. I am sure it was my fault for not trying hard enough and not making the right sort of appeal, but it would have been nice to have a couple of more trainers so that everyone could debate every time. We had some awesome people who were willing to come, but they simply did not have the $2000+ to spare that it takes to get here. It is hard to ask people for an event that has never happened before, especially in such a conflict prone region, so maybe we will do better if and when we try again. All of that, of course will depend on the will and determination of the local organizers. It must, first and foremost, be their program and we should just assist.

We have lunch in the Duhok University College of Law cafeteria, a spacious room that unfortunately has lots of echoes. The food is plentiful, healthy and tasty. On days one and two we had chicken prepared indifferent ways, along with vegetables and the characteristic flatbread of the region, always served hot. It is served on a plate, not buffet style. The lunch is a great time because you can see everyone swapping and comparing stories and experiences. As faculty, we just try to swap evaluations of different students and their problems so that we can track them and adapt to them more effectively.

After lunch on day two we had brainstorming on the motion for the next morning, This House would support inter-cultural marriage. This is a very hot topic here, especially in such an ethnically diverse region as Iraq. The students had many interesting ideas, and I dare say that the faculty learned a lot from them about the cultural situation. Many students, for example, believed that there are no people who do not believe in god or a god concept, and of course there are a few of us as trainers who share that belief. We also learned that some families might actually kill their children (especially daughters) before allowing them to inter-marry. Others spoke of the power of love and the need for intercultural understanding. It was a very good session, and many of the trainers were absolutely ecstatic about their sessions.

We had found some extra classrooms and invited students to stay after hours for additional instruction if they wished. Many had night classes to go to and others had transportation arrangements they had to meet, but about 12 people remained. The faculty staged a mixed student-faculty debate on the motion; This House believes that Barack Obama should not have received the Peace Prize. It was apparently a very entertaining debate and everyone seemed to love the experience.

In the evening I was fairly tired after a day of organizing, forming debates, begging for extra classrooms, etc. It was a difficult day for me because I did not really do much teaching, but mainly organizing and guiding. While the other trainers got to have good experiences with students, most of mine were less than good. Some people do not want to go to their assigned room, a very few others are obviously here because they have been told to be here not because they want to be here, others decided immediately they do not like their debate partners, others have no confidence in their English (it is interesting to hear someone explain to you in perfect diction why their English is inadequate), etc. I had to cope with these issues, but then somebody has to do it and I guess that is me.

Some of the faculty went out for pizza (I don’t like pizza) and then went to a hookah bar (no alcohol) and smoked some amazing citrus tobacco out of a cold carved pineapple. They said the establishment was almost psychedelic in its décor. Megan was the only female in the place.

Thus ended day two.

Day three dawned as clearer and brighter, as we had nothing but rain since the start of the program. The trainers met in the restaurant of our hotel for breakfast. It is a very nice hotel (Hotel Jiyan) and we are thankful to the governor of Duhok province for his sponsorship. Iraqi breakfast involves soft warm bred rolls, a delicious yellow lentil soup, hard boiled eggs, olives, jams, cheeses, yogurts and a selection of fresh vegetables. The coffee is good, especially when you special order the Kurdish coffee.

A van picks us up and drives us each day to the campus of Duhok University. It is a large and rapidly growing campus. Construction seems to be the main activity all over Iraq. It seems like a good 30% of all buildings are in the process of being constructed. One day we had a small traffic jam and the other two days all was fine.

Things went smoother the third day. The debates started in a more timely fashion, people spoke for longer and had far better arguments. They really are getting the hang of it. I finally got to do some instruction and judged a debate where students poke the whole time, though two of them needed more encouragement to keep on speaking, but they did. They began to use research they had gathered, personal and historical examples, and found other ways to support their arguments, Some students are already accomplished public speakers, while others are getting better. I found my debaters to be delightful and engaging. Some of them lack confidence in their ability, and when encouraged and when others show confidence in them they find that they can, indeed, speak for their full time and making solid arguments. It was a learning moment for all of us. I learned more about Islamic family customs and practices, while they learned that the appeal to divine law is not appropriate in an intercultural context such as international debating. I told them that they must prepare to debate other nations, because the voice of young Iraq must be heard. They liked this idea, and understood that we need to find common group in logic and reasoning while remaining tolerant and considerate of cultural differences. As many of our students are Kurds, they have already experienced prejudice and intolerance so this is a lesson that they can easily relate to.

After the debate and a short break they adjourned to small groups to learn about opposition strategy. Teams receive motions, work on arguments, and then share them with the group. This sort of activity seems to work well in almost every context where we have tried it. They learn from other students about their motions as well as about their own, and the trainers can guide them in their explorations.

Lunch was, as usual, chicken, rice, vegetables and bread. It finishes with a cup of sweet tea. I got evaluations of the debate performances of teams from all of the trainers and then worked a bit on the next day’s practice debate schedule.

Muhammad Ahmad had been on Kurdish television this morning and he was excited that his supposed 20-minute spot had swelled to an hour. Of course, they will edit it down, but it is a good indication of their interest. They seemed very interested in the motions that we were debating. Muhammad was, at lunch, concerned about the certificates, especially about getting the names correct as well as making sure that only those who complete the program receive them. It is also time to start thinking of the tournament, the Mesopotamian Debating Championship, that will begin tomorrow afternoon. In an announcement before the afternoon session he talked to them about how they need to register to represent their universities and what will be expected of them. We assume that there will be some attrition but one never knows given the determination of these students. My hope is that there will be some attrition because of a shortage of judges and because it would not be possible to flight the rounds. There will be three rounds and then a final round. After Muhammad’s announcements the group gathered for a photo. It is historic. It is the beginning of the Iraq Debate experience!

As I write this day three is coming to an end, even though there will be some additional instruction today after hours. I am now taking the practice debate schedule for tomorrow to the groups for them to examine and then it will be time to go back to the hotel. Tonight Bojana and I have been invited to have dinner with the governor of Duhok and we have accepted.

WDI a Big Part of Iraq Debate Academy

2009-12-20T11:53:00.002-05:00

Posing at Erbil Citadel (oldest constantly settle place on earth, 7000 years) Jonathan Borock, Jason Jarvis, unknown Iraqi, Alfred Snider, Megan Harlow, Matt Stannard.

With over 100 students signed up for this event (and the Mesopotamian Debating Championship) the faculty held a meeting tonight in the Hotel Jiyan in Erbil, Iraq. The World Debate Institute is proud to be part of this effort as a founding and organizing partner.

The faculty consists of:

Muhammad Ahmad, Iraq Debate organizer and originator.
Megan Harlow, Bard College, former USA national novice debate champion.
Jason Jarvis, former director of many Asian Debate Institutes, now a graduate student at Georgiua State University.
Jonathan Borock, NYC, coasch at St. John's Unioversity, formerly of Sophia University in Japan.
Matt Stannard, coach at University of Wyoming.
Bojana Skrt, ZIP Slovenia, but still stranded in Amman, coming to Iraq tomorrow morning.
Alfred Snider, World Debate Institute, University of Vermont.

Here are the motions we will be working with:

a. THBT USA SHOULD NOT WITHDRAW ITS MILITARY FROM IRAQ,

b. THBT UNIVERSITY EDUCATION SHOULD NOT BE FREE,

c. THW SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASE PENALTIES FOR LITTERING,

d. THBT CLOTHING DOES NOT REPRESENT THE CHARACTER OF THE INDIVIDUAL,

e. THBT DEVELOPED COUNTRIES SHOULD NOT ACCEPT THE MIGRATION OF SKILLED PROFESSIONALS FROM DEVELOPING NATIONS,

f. THBT WE SHOULD NOT EAT MEAT,

g. THBT BARACK OBAMA SHOULD NOT HAVE WON THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE.

h. THW SUPPORT A HUSBAND TAKING AN ADDITIONAL WIFE ONLY WITH THE OFFICIAL APPROVAL OF ALL OTHER WIVES.

i. THBT IRAQ SHOULD ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY.

j. THW SUPPORT INTER-CULTURAL MARRIAGE.

More information and a complete report coming tomorrow night Iraq time.

UVM Team Debates the World

2009-12-10T07:22:00.001-05:00

From http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/

All the World's a (Debate) Stage
Release Date: 12-08-2009
Author: Warren Cornwall
Under the guidance of debate coach and forensics professor Alfred "Tuna" Snider, UVM junior Sam Natale and others on the team have traveled to debate competitions worldwide. Recent stamps in Natale's passport: Slovenia, Malaysia, Ireland and Thailand. (Photo: Sally McCay)
Sam Natale didn't have a typical Thanksgiving break.
While many college students encountered turkey leftovers and rarely seen relatives, the University of Vermont junior was six time zones away, facing off against people from 29 countries in heated debates over topics like whether a military should overthrow a corrupt government.
The trip to the tiny southeastern European country of Slovenia was the latest foray for a UVM debate program that has taken a strong international direction.
Over the past two years globe-trotting UVM debaters have crisscrossed the world. In one nine-month period, the debate team racked up enough miles to go to the moon and back. They've taught the finer points of disagreement in countries where open debate until recently was barely tolerated. At the same time, the experience has made them question their own assumptions about the world.
"When you're talking about Kosovo with Serbians," Natale said, "that's a different experience."
Follow the Tuna
The guiding force behind these world travels is a 59-year-old, high-energy iconoclast and debate evangelist, Alfred "Tuna" Snider, the Edwin W. Lawrence Professor of Forensics at UVM.
"It's because the world is smaller and we're bigger," Snider said, to explain his recent emphasis on international debate.
Snider first traveled overseas to promote debating in 1995, when he visited Serbia. The country was ruled by the authoritarian regime of Slobodan Milosevic. Snider recalled Serbian students surrounding thugs sent to disrupt the debate, and chasing them away with chants of "No violence!"
"It was a fabulous moment," he said.
He has since taught debate in more than two dozen countries, and hosts the World Debate Institute, an annual debate camp at UVM. His office is a crowded testament to his international work. A Turkish flag hangs on one wall. A stack of boxes hold gifts from officials in various countries. The latest one is a decorative metal plate from the sultanate of Oman's ministry of education.
His motivation, Snider said, is partly to give people the tools to think for themselves, and partly to promote peaceful dialogue and create a culture of "constructive disagreement."
"I see it as a way for global understanding and social change," he said.
International style
It wasn't until the last three years that the debate team regularly followed Snider overseas.
First, he had to teach people a different way to debate.
Much as Americans still measure things in inches rather then centimeters, so U.S. debaters follow different rules than most other countries.
Here, most debaters exhaustively study a single issue — such as health care policy — and then debate that topic for a year.
Elsewhere, the events are run much like parliamentary debates. Two pairs of opposing teams are given a statement on nearly any topic. They have 15 minutes to prepare, before each debater gets seven minutes to persuade the judges to either support or oppose the statement. After a series of preliminary debates, the top-scoring teams advance to the "playoffs."
So in 2002, Snider started teaching the international style to UVM debaters.
He has been a pioneer in the Northeast for pushing adoption of the international format, said Sam Nelson, coach of the Cornell University debate team and a friend of Snider's. He predicted its popularity would spread from more than a dozen Northeast schools today to as many as a hundred in 10 years.
"It wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Tuna," Nelson said.
Hitting the road
Natale's first taste of international debate came in late 2008. That fall, as classes were starting, he walked into Snider's office and was greeted with an invitation to go on a debate world tour.
"If you're willing to work hard and practice, you can do this," he recalled Snider saying.
While the full tour didn't materialize, Natale and a handful of other UVM students wound up debating in Slovenia, Malaysia, Ireland and Thailand. At an event in Malaysia, he competed in front of the country's crown prince.
Funding for the travel came from overseas hosts, alumni, and from an endowment that produces roughly $70,000 a year for the UVM debate program. Natale bought his own plane ticket to China, so he could teach at a debate program in Beijing and study Chinese.
Along the way, Natale was confronted with the realization that his assumptions about the world weren't always shared.
At a debate about whether pharmaceutical companies should be allowed to advertise their drugs, he was startled to realize drug ads weren't allowed in parts of Europe. His European counterparts were shocked to learn that American doctors could be sued by patients, and that many patients here question their physicians, he said.
"I didn't realize that it wasn't normal to sue your doctors at every turn, walk in and ask for drugs, and not trust your doctor," he said.
The UVM debate team has steadily climbed the world rankings among university debate teams. Currently they are 118th with three years of results, while many schools are ranked based on points earned for five years. Snider predicts the team will reach around 60th within two years.
On the latest trip to Slovenia — five days of workshops followed by a three-day tournament — Natale and his debate partner won second place. The two also tied for first place in a competition for the best individual speaker.
"People know that in any individual debate, we can go toe to toe with the best people out there," Natale said.
Turkey for the next holiday
Snider is already preparing for his next trip into a part of the world where debate is a far more perilous activity. In mid-December he heads to Iraq.
His itinerary for next year includes Japan, Finland, Serbia, Qatar, and possibly Italy and Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Natale and five other UVM students are getting ready for their winter break. They won't be spending it carving turns on the slopes. They'll be at the debate world championships in Turkey.

International Debate Academy Tournament results

2009-12-01T21:14:00.004-05:00

The 7th International Debate Academy Slovenia was surely an international event.

Twenty-eight countries were represented: Singapore, Afghanistan, USA, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Italy, Finland, Serbia, France, Croatia, Germany, Thailand, Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, Venezuela, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Scotland, Hong Kong, Moldova, Montenegro, England, Bolivia, Spain, Austria and Greece.

The event is sponsored by ZIP Slovenia and the World Debate Institute at the University of Vermont.

For more information see:
http://debate.uvm.edu/idas.html

120 people including 40 teams from 28 countries gathered for the tournament at the Faculty of Public Administration at the University of Ljubljana. With fabulous hosting and hospitality skills Helena Felc made it all happen smoothly with the help of other dedicated volunteers.

In the finals the motion was, THBT armies should overthrow corrupt governments.
First: Jernej Jenko & Jernej Jenko (6-5 vote by panel)
Second: Sam Natale & Sarah Anders
Finalists: Tom Dionesotes & Alli Hamlin, Ana Stritih & Zan Zveplan

The full tab can be found at:
http://debate.uvm.edu/usudc/idas2009/

Top Speakers:

Position	Name	Team	Total points	Average
1	Sarah Anders	Natale Anders	481	80.16
1	Sam Natale	Natale Anders	481	80.16
3	Tom Dionesotes	Dionesotes Hamlin	471	78.50
4	Paul Gross	Gross Loeb	470	78.33
4	Alli Hamlin	Dionesotes Hamlin	470	78.33
4	Maja Cimerman	Dobranic Cimerman	470	78.33
7	Isaac Loeb	Gross Loeb	469	78.16
8	Manos Manopoulos	Vignjevic Manopoulos	468	78.00
9	Filip Dobranic	Dobranic Cimerman	465	77.50
10	Milan Vignevic	Vignjevic Manopoulos	464	77.33

The motions were:

This house would give foreign residents the right to vote in general elections (1)

THW allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. (2)

TTHW link executives' salaries to those of their employees. (3)

THBT journalists should not be compelled by law to reveal their sources. (4)

THBT rich countries should pay Brazil to re-forest. (5)

THBT hunger strikes are a legitimate form of protest in democracies. (6)

THBT patients cannot refuse life saving medical treatment. (S-F)

THBT armies should overthrow corrupt governments. (F)

International Debate Academy Instruction Ends in Ormoz

2009-12-01T21:13:00.001-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

Wednesday and Thursday were the last two instruction days at the 7th International Debate Academy Slovenia being held in Ormoz, Slovenia. As the days passed the dedication of the students seemed to increase and the improvements in all of the debaters were obvious. The teachers and trainers began judging with faculty members to work on their judging skills for the tournament.

It was good to welcome TJ Semnemgern from Thailand to the faculty. He was chief adjudicator at the Asian BP Championships held in Thailand, and arrived in plenty of time to add his considerable skills to the instruction. It was sad that Rhydian Morgan was not able to attend as he had a family emergency. Everyone supported his choice and wishes he and his family the best. It became apparent that there are actually 27 countries here. Although with Rhydian not in attendance we lost Wales but gained Bolivia one one student finally announced their nationality.

The schedule continued with the same pattern. That seemed to work well because after a couple of days you never have to look, you just go to the same sort of event and the same room as the day before.

Practice debate motions for the last two days included:

THBT developing nations should nationalize their natural resources
THW eliminate the executive power to pardon
THW legalize the sale of human body parts
THW forbid all religious symbols in all public schools.

The lectures and exercises for the advanced group covered:

Principle and Philosophy, lecture by Stephen Boyle
Economics, lecture by Stephen Boyle substituting for Rhydian Morgan

The lectures and exercises for the intermediate and beginner groups covered:
Second Teams, lectures by Loke Wing Fatt and Jens Fischer
Points of Information, lectures by Alfred Snider and Chris Langone

The electives that were offered included:
WEDNESDAY:

ILLSLEY - FINDING YOUR EXTENSION
LOEWE - WHIP SPEECHES
NENADOVIC - WHAT IS THE PROBLEM (IN THE MOTION)?
SKRT - CASEBUILDING PART 2
VALKERING - ARGUMENT DEVELOPMENT
LANGONE - STRUCTURE IN YOUR SPEECH
SNIDER - MAKING YOUR ARGUMENTS MORE IMPORTANT
BOYLE - SNEAKY TRICKS FOR DEBATERS
LOKE - DEBATING ABOUT CHINA
FISCHER - PRINCIPLES OF CRIMINAL LAW

THURSDAY:

FISCHER - ADJUDICATION FOR DEBATERS
BOYLE - PRINCIPLES & PHILOSOPHY
LOKE - UNDERSTANDING ISLAM & JIHAD
TJ - DEBATING SOCIAL ISSUES
VALKERING - HOW PEOPLE CHANGE
SNIDER - TRAINING DRILLS & EXERCISES
LOEWE - INDIVIDUAL & SOCIETY
NENADOVIC - RECRUITING DEBATERS
TJ - MILITARY ISSUES IN DEBATE
FISCHER - WINNING AND DEFENDING THE MORAL HIGH GROUND

On Wednesday night there was a faculty demonstration debate on the motion: This House would give the International Criminal Court its own police force. The teams were:

First Prop - Loke Wing Fatt & TJ Semnemgern
First Opp - Gavin Illsley & Stephen Boyle
Second Prop - Jens Fischer & Isa Loewe
Second Opp - Maja Nenadovic & Anne Valkering

A vote was taken by the students and teachers in the audience, and on a very tight count it was:

A video of this debate and many other IDAS 09 events will be posted within a week.

There was another WSDC schools round held in the evening with Romania vs. Slovenia. Romania was the winner again in another close debate.

Wednesday night there was a party with comedy night, and four brave comics faced the crowd of debaters.

Thursday night there was a chill-out party for the students and teachers, while all of the faculty members went to a local Inn and enjoyed home grown and produced foods, meats, wines and brandies. It was a truly jolly celebration of the end of the instructional program, and the Americans present said it was much better than "Thanksgiving."

Friday morniong people slept in and came to a late breakfast. The bus arrived to take everyoine to Ljubljana for the tournament and the next phase of the extended event. It was farewell to Ormoz and especially to the lovely Hotel Ormoz, the finest two star hotel in the world, who had been such a wonderful host.

WDI Sister Program in Slovenia off to Strong Start

2009-11-24T08:39:00.001-05:00

Over 80 debaters, teachers and trainers from 25 countries (Singapore, Afghanistan, USA, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Italy, Finland, Serbia, France, Croatia, Germany, Thailand, Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, Venezuela, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Scotland, Hong Kong, Moldova, Montenegro, England, Wales and perhaps more) are having quite a time in Ormoz, Slovenia at the Seventh International Debate Academy Slovenia, a week long intensive training program that concludes with a tournament in Ljubljana.

Each day has a lecture, that is followed by exercises for everyone, divided into beginner, intermediate and advanced groups. Lectures for the advanced cover basic areas for debating, such as International Relations (Anne Valkering), Ecology (Alfred Snider), Economics (Rhydian Morgan), Law and Justice (Chris Langone) and Principle and Philosophy (Stephen Boyle). For intermediate and beginners, there is a more mundane sequence: public speaking, proposition strategy, opposition strategy, second team strategy and points of information.

Each day there are a series of electives in the afternoon that students can choose from.
Sunday:

Style, Chris Langone
Note taking, Alfred Snider
Argument building, Gavin Illsley
13 Minutes Prep, Loke Wing Fatt
Motion Analysis, Jens Fischer
Debating Secessionist Movements, Maja Nenadovic
Whip Speeches, Isa Loewe
Basic Reasoning, Chris Langone
How to NOT Get Last When you Don't Know Shit, Anne Valkering
12 Ways to Refute an Argument, Jens Fischer

Monday:

Making Your Arguments More Important, Alfred Snider
Persuasion Techniques, Chris Langone
Debating Humanitarian Intervention, Isa Loewe
Making GOOD Slippery Slope Arguments, Gavin Illsley
Fundraising, Anne Valkering
Rules of the WUDC Format, Loke Wing Fatt
Preparation for Tournaments, Bojana Skrt
Debating Turkey & the EU, Stephen Boyle
Better Team Work, Maja Nenadovic
Principles of International Law, Jens Fischer

Tuesday:

Democratization, Maja Nenadovic
Debating Law, Chris Langone
Opposition One, Gavin Illsley
Policy, Value & Analysis Motions, Anne Valkering
Tabulating Competions & Using Tab Software, Jens Fischer
International Criminal Court, Isa Loewe
If English is NOT Your First Language, Bojana Skrt
Debating Ecology, Alfred Snider
Governments & Economics, Stephen Boyle

There have been some teacher and trainer sessions:

Organizing a Debate Team, Bojana Skrt
Training and Coaching, Loke Wing Fatt & Bojana Skrt
Tournament Hosting and Organizing, Anne Valkering

There have been two public debates:

Student-Faculty Demonstration Debate, Saturday Night

Faculty: Loke Wing Fatt & Gavin Illsley, Isa Loewe & Anne Valkering
Students: Anna England Kerr & Crt Podlogar, Filip Dobranic & Maja Cimerman
Motion: This House supports mandatory vaccinations.
Critics: Jens Fischer & Chris Langone

World Schools Demonstration Debate, Monday Night

Proposition: Slovenia National Team
Opposition: Romanian National Team
Motion: This House would deny the right to strike to workers in essential area.
Critic: Gavin Illsley

Practice debate motions will move from easier to more difficult, prep time starts at 30 minutes and will be cut down to 15. Here are the motions for Sunday & Monday.

This House would not negotiate with pirates.
This House would not eat meat
This House would pay a wage to stay at home parents
Thisd House would legalize soft drugs.

We have had two awesome parties that lasted late into the night and had music, dancing and much frivolity.

Sunday night - country exhibition
Monday night - kitsch party (strange clothing, cross-dressing, unusual make up)

Our Faculty includes:

Stephen Boyle, Ireland, Irish Times Champion, twice breaking at WUDC, now University of Vermont
Loke Wing Fatt, Singapore, SAID, the debating monk
Jens Fischer, Germany, President European Debating Council
Gavin Illsley, Scotland, communication consultant
Chris Langone, USA, lawyer & Cornell University
Isa Loewe, Germany/France, European ESL Champion
Rhydian Morgan, Wales, Stylus Communications
Maja Nenadovic, Hungary, University of Amsterdam
Bojana Skrt, Slovenia, ZIP
Thepparith Senamngern, Thailand, WUDC Convener Bangkok 2008
Alfred Snider, USA, University of Vermont, World Debate Institute
Anne Valkering, Netherlands, WUDC ESL Champion 2008, Bonaparte University

At the end of the week we will be moving to Ljubljana, where a dozen or so more teams will join us for a tournament at the Faculty of Public Administration.

More news coming in a day or so.

Argumentation, Debate & Critical Pedagogy Conference October 2010

2009-11-11T10:09:00.000-05:00

The World Debate Institute at the University of Vermont USA and ZIP, Za in proti, zavod za kulturo dialoga/ Pro et contra Institute for culture of dialogue Slovenia invite all scholars and practitioners of argumentation, rhetoric, debate, and educators using deliberative education methodologies to the International Conference on Argumentation, Rhetoric, Debate and the Pedagogy of Empowerment -- THINKING AND SPEAKING A BETTER WORLD.

Two conferences have been held, one in Koper and the other in Ljubljana Slovenia. The next conference is planned for October 28-29-30 2010. The conference will be hosted by The University of Maribor, Faculty of Pedagogy, Department of Philosophy. http://www.uni-mb.si/

  The conference will welcome scholars and educators from diverse fields for vigorous dialogue and exchange. This conference will unite scholars of argumentation and rhetoric, teachers, and organizers of local, national and international debating networks to discuss critical thinking and advocacy discourse through pedagogy. We intend for the conference to welcome all who are involved in public discussions and debates about different issues.

This conference is extremely timely. A global information society which seeks reasoned solutions to problems through broad citizen involvement needs to develop and refine techniques for criticizing and validating ideas through discourse and then impart these to new generations of citizens if we are to create a better future and avoid looming crises. This conference represents a unique opportunity to share ideas, network and cross-fertilize with global critical thinkers.

The program for the conference will have three themes. Submissions are encouraged to center their work on one of the three themes and to submit proposals to the appropriate conference division. Interdisciplinary work that might fit into more than one category is welcome.
• Argumentation and rhetoric. The use of logic and reason to criticize and analyze ideas through communication. Those interested in research on argumentation theory, criticisms of communication acts and scholarship on argumentation practice are encouraged to submit to this division.
• Debate. The use of formal argumentation forums to educate and empower citizens. Those interested in work on the practice and theory of debate competition, public debates, research on the impact of debate for participants, and theorizing about debate paradigms are encouraged to submit to this division.
• Critical thinking/pedagogy. Teaching and the methodology of teaching in the active classroom. Those interested in using debate, discussion and argumentation in classrooms, discussion of experiences and teaching lessons relating to communication and critical thinking are encouraged to submit to this division.  

A committee of conference organizers and scholars will examine submissions to each division. Deadlines and committees will be announced soon.  Those wishing to attend the conference without submitting a paper are very welcome but must register.

Organizing committee: 
Bojana Skrt, Za in proti, zavod za kulturo dialoga, Slovenia 
Alfred C. Snider, World Debate Institute, University of Vermont, USA

WDI Southwest Asia Debate Outreach Details

2009-10-08T09:17:00.000-04:00

The Qatar Debate Academy is being held under the sponsorship of QatarDebate and the Qatar Foundation, with the assistance of the World Debate Institute at the University of Vermont and Za in Proti Slovenia. It will run from October 30 until November 7 2009. The event is designed to bring debating nations together with nations that are relatively new to debate to offer high levels of instruction from a varied multinational faculty.

The program will involve an extended workshop and a tournament.

Countries that will be attending with two teachers and five high school debaters are:

Oman
China
Sudan
Uganda
Bosnia
USA
Chile
New Zealand
UAE (United Arab Emirates)
Lebanon
Brunei

The following countries are bringing two teachers from different schools to receive training in all areas of debate:

Iraq
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Syria
Palestine
Azerbaijan

The faculty currently includes:

Piyanart Faktangporn, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
Loke Wing Fatt, S.A.I.D., Singapore
Sam Greenland, University of Sydney, Australia
Rhydian Morgan, Stylus Communication, UK
Sam Nelson, Cornell University, USA
Debbie Newman, UK
Erin O'Brien, Queensland University, Australia
Omar Salahuddin bin Abdullah, Malaysia
Bojana Skrt, Z.I.P., Slovenia
Alfred Snider, University of Vermont, USA
Miranda Weigler, Colgate University, USA

More will be confirmed later.
More news will be coming.

Learn more about QatarDebate at
http://www.qatardebate.org/

WDI To Partner with QatarDebate on Debate Academy

2009-09-02T19:14:00.002-04:00

QatarDebate, a member of the Qatar Foundation, will be hosting the Qatar Debate Academy in Doha, Qatar from October 29-November 6 2009. The program is organized in cooperation with Za in Proti Slovenia and the World Debate Institute of the University of Vermont. The program will focus on the development of debate in new countries, creating a meaningful international exchange and paving the way towards the World Schools Debating Championship in Qatar in February 2010. The event will also host a Mini-World Schools Debating Championship with teams from all continents.

"Southwest Asia is a prime candidate for the expansion of debating," said Alfred Snider of the World Debate Institute, "and Qatar is the ideal site and host for such an event. Their determination to promote debating and open civil discourse in this region is impressive and groundbreaking. I am inspired by QatarDebate and Dr. Hayat Maarafi's vision of expanded debating in this part of the world. I hope that we can really spark some important debate development in these countries as well as expose them to more established debating trainers, nations and teams. We are expecting over 240 people at this event."

GOALS

The goals of the Qatar Debate Academy include:

Preparing students and trainers from new debating countries for future participation in WSDC Qatar 2010 and in their home countries.
Preparing Qatar students and teachers for involvement in debating in Qatar and internationally.
Preparing judges for future debate competitions, especially WSDC Qatar 2010.
Preparing teachers to be able to form debate clubs, train students and host tournaments.
Demonstrating Qatar’s ability to host a major debate event.
Prepare Qatar schools for the experience of hosting debates as part of WSDC Qatar 2010.

DATES

Arrival 29-30 October 2009

Instruction and competition 31 October-5 November 2009

Departure 6 November 2009

FACULTY AND STAFF

Planning and Implementation

Dr. Hayat Maarafi, convener

Dr. Alfred Snider, program planning & tournament administration

Bojana Skrt, curriculum planning

Kelley Bieringer, implementation planning

Adjudication Core

This group will work with teachers and others on judging skills and prepare them for judging at WSDC Qatar and at the tournament at the end of this program. They will meet with judges after judging experiences to properly process their learning. They will also come up with approximately 20 prepared and impromptu motions for use in the tournament, practice debates and exercises.

Chris Erskine, Australia

Simon Quinn, Oxford University, UK

Faculty

Alex Campbell, USA

Piyanart Faktangporn, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand

Loke Wing Fatt, SAID, Singapore

Sam Greenland, University of Sydney, Australia

Rhydian Morgan, Stylus Communications, UK

Sam Nelson, Cornell University, USA

Debbie Newman, UK

Erin O’Brien, University of Queensland, Australia

Omar Salahuddin bin Abdullah, MultiMedia University, Malaysia

Bilal Siddiqi, Pakistan

Bojana Skrt, ZIP, Slovenia

Alfred Snider, University of Vermont, USA

Miranda Weigler, St. Andrews University, Scotland

CURRICULUM

There will be several tracks at the event:

For students from debating countries new and old
For teachers and trainers from new debating countries
For judges preparing for WSDC 2010
For Qatari students and teachers

The curriculum will use the training model previously used at the International Debate Academy, the World Schools Debate Academy and the World Debate Institute. Features of this model include:

Intense preparation and work environment
Limited lectures on essential topics
Active exercises and drills to teach debate skills in small group settings
Repetition of activities to promote skill development
Practice debates with lengthy and specific critiques

Watch for more information as we get closer to the event.

Contacts:

Kelley Bieringer kbieringer@qf.org.qa

Alfred Snider alfred.snider@uvm.edu

Bojana Skrt bojana.skrt@siol.net

World Schools Workshop Concludes in Vermont

2009-08-12T09:27:00.003-04:00

All smiles before a lecture
Group session in the Huber House debate chamber
Top speaker Namarik from Kuwait
Snider, Skrt, Newman and Morgan

The 2009 World Schools Debating Workshop concluded at the University of Vermont with a flurry of debating and a deep sense of satisfaction.

"This was the single most amazing group we have had since we started in 1984," said WDI director Alfred Snider, "they were incredibly focused, they had a huge hunger for new information and knowledge and they were extremely cooperative." He had a glint in his eye when he added, "Plus they were all early to every session ... something you don't often see among high school students. They are a very special bunch of people."

Students came from the USA but also from Canada, Korea, Greece and Kuwait.

Here are the motions that were debated during the last week of the workshop:
• This house believes the government should never rescue failing private industry.
• This house would give the Kurds a homeland.
• This house believes that nuclear energy does more harm than good.
• This House would use military force where necessary to deliver emergency aid.
• This House would ban the broadcast of recordings produced by terrorists.
• This House would make Jerusalem a UN administered teritory.
• This House would take a hard line on Iran regarding their recent elections.
• This House would lower the voting age to 16.
• This House believes that using less energy should be the number one energy priority.

The tournament involved five rounds and then awards were given on that basis. Members of the community, the university and parents came to watch the debates. In the final results, the top speaker was Namarik Al-Enizy of Kuwait. The top team consisted of Namarik, Milan Bien-Aime and Macey Miller.

The faculty, consisting of Bojana Skrt of Slovenia, Rhydian Morgan of the UK, Debbie Newman of the UK and Alfred Snider of the USA, declared that they were incredibly impressed by the students and their pace of learning. Director Bojana Skrt said, "The kids were great, they learned a lot, they improved tremendously and they were the most punctual ever. At the end of the workshop everyone committed themselves to continue their debating careers."

There are five world titles amongst the faculty as trainers.

"The world schools debating format is an excellent one," said Snider, "and it needs to be expanded in domestic competition in many countries. It has the best of several different formats."

WDI Program in Europe Prepares for 2009

2009-07-31T20:43:00.001-04:00

THE SEVENTH INTERNATIONAL DEBATE ACADEMY SLOVENIA
& IDAS/FUTUR 2009 TOURNAMENT

THE BEST IN WUDC/BP DEBATE INSTRUCTION AND COMPETITION

21-29 NOVEMBER 2009
Full program for students – instruction, IDAS/FUTUR 2009 tournament
IDAS/FUTUR 2009 tournament for students – tournament in Ljubljana at the Faculty of Administration-University of Ljubljana.
Full program for trainers, teachers, coaches, club leaders, judges at any level in any debate format.

SPECIFIC DATES
Arrive in Ormoz, Slovenia November 21 2009
Instruction in Ormoz November 21-26 2009
Transfer to Ljubljana morning 27 November 2009
FUTUR tournament in Ljubljana afternoon 27-29 November 2009

APPLICATION FORMS AVAILABLE FOR TOTAL PROGRAM OR JUST TOURNAMENT

Organized by:
ZIP – Za in proti (ZIP), Pro et Contra, Institute for the Culture of Dialogue, Slovenia
WDI – World Debate Institute, University of Vermont
Debate Club, Faculty of Administration, University of Ljubljana

Scholarship Fund established by
Download Application Form HERE

FACULTY -- more to come!

Loke Wing Fatt, Singapore: Well known Asian debate trainer, WUDC breaking judge, honorary professorship North-Eastern University China, SAID Singapore, 5th IDAS.
Jens Fischer, Germany: Berlin Debating Union, Chief Adjudicator at Europeans, 5th IDAS.
Leela Koenig, Netherlands: Cork Worlds 2009 Best ESL speaker, Top ESL Speaker at Euros 2007 and 2008, DCA Newcastle Euros 2009, CA of Amsterdam, Euros 2010 bid, lecturer at The Hague University, philosophy student at Leiden University. 1st IDAS.
Chris Langone, USA: Cornell University. 2nd IDAS.
Isabelle Loewe, Germany: Winner EUDC (ESL), ESL-Semifinalist Worlds 2007, DCA Tallinn EUDC 2008; CA/DCA of several tournaments, among them, Prague, Tilbury IV, Yeditepe Open, Jacobs Open; Winner and finalist of several tournaments in Europe; Officer for International Law and Human Rights Education
Branka Marusic, Croatia: Former President Europeans Council, IDAS Finalist, 3rd IDAS.
Rhydian Morgan, UK: Chief Adjudicator and Finals judge at numerous tournaments, Welsh Debating Federation, World Debate Institute faculty 2008-09, 3rd IDAS.
Maja Nenadovic, Croatia: Founder of several debating societies across Europe, currently busy with introducing debate to countries in the Western Balkans region, and with finishing her PhD in political science at the University of Amsterdam. 2nd IDAS.
Debbie Newman, UK: President of Cambridge Union, England and Wales National Champion, WSDC 2008 World Champion coach for England. 2nd IDAS.
Alfred Snider, USA: Professor at University of Vermont, Director World Debate Institute, USA Coach of the Year, six recent debate textbooks, Convener 2009 US Universities Nationals, 7th IDAS.
Bojana Skrt, Slovenia: Director ZIP, three times WSDC EFL World Champion coach, 7th IDAS.
Anne Valkering, Netherlands: Oxford ESL semi-finalist 2006, finalist 2007, winner ESL final Manchester IV 2007; EUDC ESL finalist 2006, semi-finalist 2007, quarterfinalist 2008, ESL second speaker 2008, fifth speaker 2006; WUDC ESL champion 2008; DCA Dutch Nationals 2009, CA Bonaparte Debate Tournament 2007, DCA Amsterdam Open 2008 and 2009, CA Sciences Po IV 2009.

CURRICULUM

STUDENT TRAINING : Each Instruction day features a main lecture, exercise and drill sessions, and two complete critiqued practice debates. Many elective classes offered. Many training preparation sessions offered. Judge evaluation and training offered. Advanced, basic and beginner tracks available. The best way to get ready forn WUDC in Turkey.
IDAS 2009 TRAINER PROGRAM
The International Debate Academy Slovenia will be offering a special track for trainers, coaches and those interested in learning about how to train debaters and create debate organizations such as clubs, academic programs and leagues. The program will call upon the extensive experience of the faculty to provide specialized training, including: Basic debate training steps: observation, advice from experienced trainers and curriculum guides Judging: instruction, shadow judging, real judging experience Tournaments: hosting, administering, including tabulation software. Advanced debate training: observation, advice from experienced trainers, curriculum guides. Organizing: recruiting debaters, implementing training, scheduling meetings, publicity. Attendees will have a sample judging session every morning as well as a special training session in the afternoon. All events at the program will also be open to attendees. Special needs and requests specific to individuals can be met if given advance notice.
TOURNAMENT: Sponsored by IDAS, ZIP and hosted by Faculty of Administration University of Ljubljana. Six preliminary rounds and semifinals in the WUDC format. No team caps as of now. Faculty will serve as adjudication core and administration for the tournament.

COST

250 Euros for full program, 60 Euros for tournament.
Fees: Includes all meals, double rooms, instructional materials, transportation from Ormoz to Ljubljana, and social activities. Accommodations: Rooms and full meals provided in Ormoz and Ljubljana. Social activities each evening. Limited crash available for tournament.

Scholarships: We hope to offer substantial scholarships to needy applicants. Scholarship forms available soon.

Financial Disclosure: IDAS is a non-profit program, trainers are not paid, trainer travel is not reimbursed, participation fees pay for attendee expenses of rooms and food only, trainer accommodations and food and other costs are covered by ZIP.

Social Events: We will have frequent social events. We will not distribute free alcohol to 18+ attendees out of the workshop fees. We will seek soft drinks-beer-wine sponsors. We prioritize scholarships for attendees over free alcohol. We want as many people as possible to join the program.

Website: http://debate.uvm.edu/idas.html
Blogsite: http://internationaldebateacademy.blogspot.com/

Organizing Committee:
Director of the Academy: Bojana Skrt, ZIP, bojana.skrt@siol.net
Head of Training: Alfred C. Snider, World Debate Institute, University of Vermont, alfred.snider@uvm.edu
Tournament Host: Helena Felc

WDI World Schools Session Thrives

2009-07-30T14:37:00.004-04:00

Rhydian Morgan works with a small group on proposition cases

The 2009 WDI world schools debate workshop began on Sunday and is in high gear as of today.

Each day begins at 9 AM and about half the time ends at 9 PM and half the time at 5 PM. There was even an afternoon at the beach on Tuesday as well as a number of evening movies.

But what students seem to like to do the most in their free time is prepare for the motions by working in the library. Bojana Skrt, program director, was astounded that after library work was over students still wanted to stay on. "They are very curious and very ambitious, so I just let them go ahead." All agree that the group is very well-informed and for the most part are already strong public speakers.

The group has students from the USA, of course, but also students from Greece, Canada, Korea and Kuwait. The faculty is Bojana Skrt ZIP Slovenia, Rhydian Morgan of Stylus Communications UK, Debbie Newman of UK and Alfred Snider of WDI USA.

"This is a unique opportunity," sad WDI director Snider. "Bojana, Rhydian and I have been working with the same curriculum over a one week period at the World Schools Debate Academy held in Slovenia, but now we get to expand it here because we have a two week session. It allows for a lot more depth as well as just a bit more recreation time for the students."

Here is the schedule for the sessions:

World Debate Institute, University of Vermont
WORLD SCHOOLS DEBATE WORKSHOP

July 25 – August 7, 2009

Arrival: Saturday, 7/25
3:00 – 5:00 Check-in to Residential Hall

Day 1: Sunday, 7/26
9.00 – 10.00 Opening ceremony, briefing
10.00 – 11.30 Introduction to debating, lecture
11.30 – 1.30 Lunch
1.30- 3.30 Library tour, librarians doing it
4.00 – 5.00 How to research for debate, lecture
5.00 – 7.00 Dinner
Free evening

Day 2: Monday, 7/27
9.00 – 10.00 Public speaking, lecture.
10.00 – 11.30 Public speaking, exercises
11.30 – 1.30 Lunch
1.30 – 2.30 Introduction to Worlds School Debate Format, note taking, lecture
2.30 – 3.30 Debate preparation
3.30 -5.00 Debate and critique
5.00 – 7.00 Dinner
7.00 – 9.00 Researching and brainstorming for the next day debate.

Day 3: Tuesday, 7/28
9.00 – 10.00 Debate preparation
10.00 – 11.30 Debate and critique
11.30 – 1.00 Lunch
Beach time
5.00 - Dinner and free evening

Day 4: Wednesday, 7/29
9.00 - 10.00 Argumentation 1, lecture,
10.00 – 11.30 Argumentation exercises
11.30 - 1.00 Lunch
1.00 – 2.00 Debate prep
2.00 - 5.00 Debate and critique, repeat
5.00 – 7.00 Dinner
7.00 – 9.00 Researching and brainstorming for the next day debate

Day 5: Thursday, 7/30
9.00 – 11.30 Proposition case, lecture and exercises
11.30 – 1.30 Lunch
1.30 – 2.30 Role of the speakers, lecture
2.30 – 3.30 Debate prep
3.30 – 5.00 Debate and critique.
5.00 – 7.00 Dinner
Free evening

Day 6: Friday, 7/31
9.00 – 11.30 Points of information, lecture and drills
11.30 – 1.30 Lunch
1.30 – 3.30 Debate prep
3.30 – 5.00 Debate and critique of debate
5.00 – 7.00 Dinner
7.00 – 9.00 Repeat debate

Day 7: Saturday, 8/1
9.00 – 11.30 Motion analyses, lecture and drills
11.30 – 1.30 Lunch
1.30 – 2.30 Style
2.30 – 3.30 Debate prep
3.30 – 5.00 Debate and critique
5.00 – 7.00 Dinner
7.00 – 10.00 Free evening on Church street

Day 8: Sunday, 8/2
Free time
11.30 – 1.30 Lunch
1.30 – 2.30 Third speeches, lecture
2.30 – 3.30 Debate prep,
3.30 – 5.00 Debate and critique
5.00 – 7.00 Dinner
7.00 – 9.00 Researching and brainstorming for the next day debate

Day 9: Monday, 8/3
9.00 – 11.30 Argumentation 2
11.30 – 1.30 Lunch
1.30 – 2.30, Opposition case
2.30 – 3.30 Debate prep
3.30 – 5.00 Debate and critique
5.00 – 7.00 Dinner
7.00 – 9.00 Researching and brainstorming for the next day debate

Day 10: Tuesday, 8/4
9.00 – 11.30 Reply speeches, lecture and drills
11.30 – 1.30 Lunch
1.30 – 2.30 Open forum
2.30 – 3.30 Debate prep
3.30 – 5.00 Debate and critique
5.00 – 7.00 Dinner
Free evening

Day 11: Wednesday, 8/5
Free morning
Mini tournament
Round one:
1.30 – 4.00 Round 1
4.00 – 6.00 Dinner
6.00 – 8.00 Round 2

Day 12: Thursday, 8/6
9.00 - 11.30 Round 3
11.30 – 1.30 Lunch
1.30 – 4.00 Round 4
4.00 AWARD CEREMONY
5.00 Dinner

Departure: Friday, 8/7
9:00 – 11:00 Check-out of Residential Hall & depart campus

More Photos from WDI's WSDA in Europe

2009-07-15T09:25:00.000-04:00

View from the window at the camp hotel in Zrece

Semifinalists from Qatar

First Place from Slovenia - "Hair"

Semifinalists from Croatia

Judges in final round

Faculty David Register & Ruth Zisman, University of Vermont

WDI Program in Europe Concludes

2009-07-15T09:21:00.001-04:00

The World Debate Institute's program in Europe has finished. The five round tournament at the World Schools Debate Academy has been concluded. The semifinal and final rounds are now concluded. Here are the results.

Vanja Vrecic of Slovenia was the top speaker, followed by Zan Zveplan and Damjan Denkovski. The team called Hair from Slovenia (Zan, Monika Sobocan and Damjan) defeated the team called Big Bang (Vanja Vrfecic, Barbara Zitek and Tamara Juricic) 5-0 in the finals. In the semifinals Big Bang defeated Team Croatia (Ema Karwelic, Nives Orlic, Matea Tomasic) and also the team called Hair advanced over Lawnmowers (from Qatar) (Mohammed Al Sabbagh, Mohammed Hubrack and Moiz Bohra).

The tournament followed a previous wek of instruction with debates, exercises, lectures and elective classes lasting all day each day. Look for lots of videos coming up soon.

The event took place in the beautiful small town of Zrece in the mountains of Slovenia and in a delightful place to stay and eat, Hotel Smogavsc.

Thanks to all of the faculty:
Rhydian Morgan, UK
David Register, USA
Bojana Skrt, Slovenia
Alfred Snider, USA
Ruth Zisman, USA

The great instructors who helped students endlessly deserve thanks:
Maja Cimerman
Filip Dobranic
Anna England-Kerr

More photos coming!

Next year -- bigger and better.

WDI Program Begins in Europe - World Schools Debate Academy

2009-07-02T08:57:00.000-04:00

WORLDS SCHOOLS DEBATE ACADEMY AND TOURNAMENT

Zreče, Slovenia, 5th – 12th July 2009

Za in proti, zavod za kulturo dialoga Slovenia, www.zainproti.com and World Debate Institute, USA, debate.uvm.edu kindly invite you to participate at the International Worlds Schools Debate Academy and Tournament Zreče Open, 5th – 12th July 2009.

The Academy is divided in two parts. The training part starts on Sunday evening, and finishes on Friday lunch time. The tournament starts on Friday early afternoon, finishes on Sunday evening. The participants can apply for the whole event or for the tournament only.

High school students, teachers, coaches and trainers are invited. At the training part the participants will be divided into three different groups based on their experience and expertise - beginners, intermediate and advanced. There will be a special group for trainers and coaches. There will be small groups with a 1 to 6 student trainer ratio, meaning lots of individual attention.

Participants will be staying in Hotel Smogac in the center of Zreče. You can check about the hotel at www.smogavc.si

Prepared motions for this year:

This house has no confidence in capitalism.
This house would focus more on adapting to climate change than preventing it.
This house believes that religious belief is the most important barrier for multiculturalism.
This house would forcefeed anorexics.

Quarterfinals: This house would make only organ donors eligible for organ transplant.
Finals: This house believes trade unions should be mandatory.

Trainers:

Maja Cimerman, member of the Team Slovenia at Worlds Schools Debate Championship 2006, 2007 (EFL World Champion WSDC Korea)

Filip Dobranic, member of the Team Slovenia at Worlds Schools Debate Championship in 2006, 2007, 2008 (Top EFL speaker at WSDC 2007 Korea and 2008 USA, EFL World Champion WSDC 2007 Korea and 2008 Washington).

Anna Mojca England Kerr, member of the Team Slovenia at Worlds Schools Debate Championship 2006, 2007 (EFL World Champion WSDC Korea).

Rhydian Morgan, Great Britain, Chief Adjudictor at numerous tournaments and trainer.

David Register, University of Vermont. USA, award-winning coach.

Bojana Skrt, Za in proti, zavod za kulturo dialoga, Slovenia (EFL Worlds Champion Coach WSDC Canada, Korea, USA).

Alfred C. Snider, University of Vermont, USA, award-winning coach.

Anja Šerc, Za in proti, zavod za kulturo dialoga, Slovenia

Ruth Zisman, Doctoral Fellow at New York University, USA, award-winning coach.

Organising committee:
Miha Andric
Bojana Skrt

Attend the entire event:
Arrival on Sunday late afternoon, July 5th
Departure on Monday morning, July 12th
Participation fee: 250 EUR covers all instruction, accomodation and food for 8 nights, trainers, materials and tournament.
Application form for entire event

The participants should apply individually.

Attend the tournament only:
Arrival: Friday, the 10th, morning
Departure: Monday, the 12th, morning
Participation fee: 100 EUR covers accomodation and food for 3 nights and tournament expences.
The cost for an additional night (coming on Thursday) is 30 EUR.
Application form for tournament only

The participants should apply as 3 members teams. Each team should be accompanied by a judge.

Participation fees should be paid in cash upon arrival or via bank tranfer prior to the event. The ones who would like to pay via bank tranfer, please, contact debata@siol.net for additional information.

Application forms in the attachments. Please, send the application forms to debata@siol.net as soon as possible but not later than June 25th.

You can check the news and updates at http://debate.uvm.edu/wsda.html

SCHEDULE

Sunday, 5th of July 2009
16.00 – 19.00 Registration
19.00 – 20.00 Dinner
20.00 – 22.00 Opening, participants test, demo debate and introduction to the format.

Monday, 6th of July 2009
7:30 -- 8:30 Breakfast
8:45 Morning announcements
9.00 – 10.00 Lecture: Public speaking
10.00 – 12.00 Exercises
12.00 – 13.00 Lecture: Points of information
13.00 – 14.30 Lunch
14.30 – 19.00 Debates (preparation for debates, debates, feedback)
19.00 – 20.00 Dinner

Tuesday, 7th of July 2009
7:30 -- 8:30 Breakfast
8:45 Morning announcements
9.00 – 10.00 Lecture: Argumentation
10.00 – 12.00 Exercises
12.00 – 13.00 Lecture: Argumentation
13.00 – 14.30 Lunch
14.30 – 19.00 Debates (preparation for debates, debates, feedback)
19.00 – 20.00 Dinner
20.00 – 21.00 Electives

Wednesday, 8th of July 2009
7:30 -- 8:30 Breakfast
8:45 Morning announcements
9.00 – 10.00 Lecture: Building proposition case.
10.00 – 12.00 Exercises
12.00 – 13.00 Lecture: Motions analyses
13.00 – 14.30 Lunch
14.30 – 19.00 Debates (preparation for debates, debates, feedback)
19.00 – 20.00 Dinner
20.00 – 21.00 Electives

Thursday, 9th of July 2009
7:30 -- 8:30 Breakfast
8:45 Morning announcements
9.00 – 10.00 Lecture: Building opposition case.
10.00 – 12.00 Exercises
12.00 – 13.00 Lecture: Refutation.
13.00 – 14.30 Lunch
14.30 – 19.00 Debates (preparation for debates, debates, feedback)
19.00 – 20.00 Dinner
20.00 – 21.00 Open Forum

Friday, 10th of July 2009
7:30 -- 8:30 Breakfast
8:45 Morning announcements
9.00 – 10.00 Lecture: Third speeches
10.00 – 12.00 Exercises
12.00 – 13.00 Lecture: Reply speeches

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Prepared motions will be announced during first weekend in May.

Friday, 10th of July 2009
13.00 – 14.00 Lunch
14.30 Openning of the tournament

15.00 – 17.00
Debater briefing
Adjudication briefing and judges test

17.00 Round 1 prepared

19.00 – 20.00 Dinner

Saturday, 10th of July
9.00 Round 2 – prepared

11.00 Impromptu motion announced
12.00 Round 3 – impromptu

13.00 – 14.00 Lunch

14.00 Impromptu motion announcement
15.00 Round 4 – impromptu
17.00 Round 5 – prepared
19.00 – Dinner and socials

Sunday, 11th of July
9.00 Round 6 – prepared

11.00 Impromptu motion announcement
12.00 Round 7 – impromptu

13.30 – 14.30 Lunch

14.30 Quarterfinalists announcement
15.00 Quarterfinal – prepared

16.30 Semi – finalists announcement, impromptu motion announcement
18.00 Semi – finale
19.30 Dinner

21.00 Finale – prepared
Closing ceremony
Party

WDI Sponsors Webcast from NFL Nationals on 19 June

2009-06-13T15:50:00.000-04:00

You can see the best high school speakers and debaters live on your computer.

On Friday 19 June 2009 there will be a live webcast of a number of events from the National Forensic League's national speech and debate championship tournament from the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Concert Hall in Birmingham, Alabama.

The NFL Nationals is the largest speech and debate tournament in the world, with well over 5000 people attending. Competition will last all week leading up to Friday.

The webcast can be viewed at http://www.uvm.edu/debate_theater/

Here are the times. All times are USA Central.

8 AM
Original Oratory Finals

9:30 AM
USA Extemporaneous Speaking Finals

11 AM
International Extemporaneous Speaking Finals

12:30 PM
Policy Debate Finals

2:30 PM
Public Forum Debate Finals

3:30 PM
Lincoln Douglas Debate Finals

5 PM
Awards Program

The webcast is sponsored by Debate Central, the World Debate Institute and the University of Vermont. Special thanks to the NFL for providing technical support, a three-camera shoot and fantastic events.

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THE SEVENTH INTERNATIONAL DEBATE ACADEMY SLOVENIA & IDAS/FUTUR 2009 TOURNAMENTTHE BEST IN WUDC/BP DEBATE INSTRUCTION AND COMPETITION

Scholarship Fund established by Download Application Form HERE

WDI World Schools Session Thrives

More Photos from WDI's WSDA in Europe

WDI Program in Europe Concludes

WDI Program Begins in Europe - World Schools Debate Academy

WORLDS SCHOOLS DEBATE ACADEMY AND TOURNAMENT

Zreče, Slovenia, 5th – 12th July 2009

WDI Sponsors Webcast from NFL Nationals on 19 June

THE SEVENTH INTERNATIONAL DEBATE ACADEMY SLOVENIA
& IDAS/FUTUR 2009 TOURNAMENT

THE BEST IN WUDC/BP DEBATE INSTRUCTION AND COMPETITION

Scholarship Fund established by
Download Application Form HERE