Debates

In the world today, information is so readily available an educated populous must adapt to become more skeptical. Learning this skepticism goes hand-in-hand with understanding arguments; as well as fallacies. Mrs. Shumway’s debate class has introduced these very important skills to me. Debate has taught me the most important skill is the understanding and ability to form a logical argument. Four years ago, freshman year, my knowledge of argument was immensely limited. Any dispute of which the opposition could talk enough about I would consider truthful. This particularly gullible mindset could have set me exceedingly far back behind my peers. I was very much aware of this weakness throughout my experiences. Disputes with my peers, and in some…

Sports debate is a hobby that I am most passionate for. A reason I am so fond of this hobby is because it includes two of my favorite things: sports and arguing. I constantly find myself tuning into ESPN to watch ESPN first take or Fox Sports to watch Undisputed. These two sports debate shows take up most of most mornings as I would sit watching the art of oration between two well prepared candidates. Unlike sports debate, writing papers was not one of my hobbies. In fact my mindset towards…

Presidential debates have been and still are a major player to the Presidential elections. The debates have evolved from newspaper to radio to television and now to social media/ the internet. One of the most popular debates have been decided by the image presented by each president. Television made this task for presidents even harder because now they look good or they will pay the consequences. For example, in the 1960s the president took on the new evolution of the debates which was through…

the morning of the tournament. I was nervous as it was my first one I had ever been to. I didn't know what to expect and I was nervous but confident that I would do well. I drove to Moline High School and met up with other members of the debate team. As I walked outside to the bus I could feel how cold it was outside. It was 5 AM so I was tired and I took a short nap on the bus. I woke up when everyone else woke up and started talking to my debate partner Lance about our strategy for the…

MODERATOR, smiles: Good evening everyone and welcome to tonight’s debate streaming live from Shoreline Amphitheater outside Google headquarters. From all of us here in Mountain View, thanks for joining us. [to the camera] Tonight is the fourth and final presidential debate and voters’ last chance to see the candidates side-by-side before casting their ballots next Tuesday. Much could be determined in the next 90 minutes; so let’s get to it. [turns] To start things off, I’m going to ask that our…

Every year after AP exams are over, APUSH students—old and current—ask teachers if they can miss their class period to watch the student debates. The hype surrounding these debates were mostly due to three reasons: the controversial topics, the “hot seat questions,” where students are placed on the spot much like in court, and of course, the opportunity to dress up. My partner and I chose to argue against the death penalty, and while I thought our in-class research sessions had been productive,…

Studying abroad is an opportunity that many college students wish to take part in during their college career. “Room for Debate” asks the question of if it is actually worth it. Is it worth the money? Is it enriching the students education? Should studying abroad be mandatory for students? All of these questions are ones that students parents most likely ask them selves before they are willing to dish out the tens of thousands of dollars that it costs to spend a semester or a year abroad.…

Debate I have been involved in debate since 6th grade, before out middle school provided a debate class. Three of my friends and I were coached by elder sibling of a couple friends in the event of congress, which we were able to compete in via our UDL, which hosted middle school tournaments and gave us the resources to participate in the program. Midway through 7th grade, I began competing in the event of policy debate with a close friend, through which, for middle scholars, we reached a…

After conducting background research about abortion and relating it back to multiple moral systems, I have come to a conclusion about my own personal stance on abortion. First of all, I am neither completely Pro-Life nor Pro-Choice, however, I am not completely neutral either. Reading about the thousands of maternal deaths that could have been prevented had abortion been liberalized in various nations made me realize that I am okay with the act of abortion. I see no problem with women taking…

enough, I don’t regret any of those things; I regret not starting debate early enough. In my short time with the debate team I was able to learn how to refine my vocabulary, my capacity to think well on my feet, and most importantly my ability to publically speak. Each debate was an opportunity for me to engineering a round, winning line of argument, to improve a witty retort, and crafting poignant rebuttals. Before I saw the debate team, as just arguing for fun, but after one week of being…