[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
[Date Index] [Thread Index] [Author Index]
Return to main CEDA-L Archive Page

Before there were tournaments...

My suggestion is that as a compliment (not a substitute) to
tournament debating, we consider bringing back the old notion of
one school hosting another school for an on-campus public debate.

So here is the offer:  Come to Towson. You cover transportation
and we will cover lodging, meals, and entertainment.  We will
come up with a jointly desirable topic, something that requires
no additional preparation beyond the national resolution,
something that is interesting, exciting even, and not trite.  We
will handle publicity.  We will guarantee a general audience.

Travel need not even be a unique expense - send a team over a
couple days prior to the Towson tournament, the Richmond
tournament, the Georgetown, GMU, Navy, or Liberty tournaments,
and we'll debate on a Thursday night.

We will both please our Chairs, Deans, and Presidents.  We will
have a better answer to tough questions like, "how are you
serving a larger audience than the 15 students on your team?"

In making this offer I want to be sure to clarify that I _don't_
believe that the audience is the be-all-and-end-all of our
credibility as an argument lab.  I believe that professionals
make infinitely better judges than lay-people.  BUT I also
believe that we in the debate community have a responsibility to
promote public discourse.  I believe that watching and commenting
on good debates can ennoble and improve spectators.  And I
believe (gulp) that it never hurts to work on adaptation skills.

I also believe that we should want to _prove_ that excellent CEDA
and NDT debaters are gaining skills that allow them to speak well
to any audience. 

What do you say?  Backchannel me if you are interested in
exploring this opportunity.  I encourage others to make similar
offers.  This listserve could serve as a good 'introduction
service' for such tours.  I encourage CEDA/NDT/AFA as
organizations to find some way to promote public debate as part
of our 'umbrella' of educational experience.

Ken Broda-Bahm
Towson State University
Follow-Ups:
Archive created by Jonathan Stanton (jonathan@cs.jhu.edu)
Return to main CEDA-L Archive Page