DEBATE+
What is DEBATE+
Debate+ seeks to enrich and complement the traditional competition-centered model of forensics education by incorporating broader teaching and learning strategies designed to deepen student engagement with the subjects they debate. These efforts include place-based learning experiences, conference presentations of primary research by undergraduates, campus and community events connected to our debate topics, and opportunities for students to engage directly with local experts, organizers, and practitioners. Collectively, these activities aim to position collegiate debate not solely as a competitive endeavor but also as a meaningful vehicle for interdisciplinary and experiential learning as well as civic engagement. By deepening students’ intellectual engagement and connecting academic inquiry to lived realities, we hope to broaden the educational possibilities of collegiate debate.
Place-based Learning (PBL)
A Pedagogy of Place: Students will actively engage their university’s mission to develop a deeper understanding of the global community and their role within it. In learning to adapt, collaborate, and interact with people of different sociocultural backgrounds through humility and openness, we prepare ourselves to make a meaningful contribution to an ever-changing and interdependent world. Experiential place-based learning projects add a layer of depth and substance that uniquely enrich and intensify the academic journey in ways not easily replicated in the classroom or from the pages of a book. This is the foundation of our Debate+ philosophy.