Introduction to Debating (DS101) Workshops

Communicating ideas effectively and clearly is important for success in any discipline. Our workshops on Debating and Critical Thinking (DS -101) help students understand and express themselves better. By learning to structure and develop arguments, they grow their ideation skills and gain a foothold in research and analysis.
The course is divided into four self-contained sessions that are hosted virtually over Zoom. It is recommended that students attend all the sessions. However, they can also choose to attend specific sessions if it suits them better. These sessions do not require any background or interest in debating as a competitive activity. Instead, they are designed to help students navigate through complex ideas and become better at tying together different elements of thinking into well put together narratives. Additional to these sessions are freestyle debate practices which also happen frequently. A brief overview of the sessions and their learning outcomes is provided below:

Session I: Simple Arguments

Learning Objective: Introduces students to the basic concept of an argument. It also helps students understand the flow of logical reasoning.
Expected Outcome: After this session, a student should be able to identify the basic elements of any argument, the premises and conclusion. They will also be able to create and expand on simple frameworks of logical reasoning.

Session II: Complex Arguments

Learning Objective: Students are taught to break down concepts and complex ideas into simpler elements. They also gain a grasp of how these concepts and ideas are represented using multiple logical narratives.
Expected Outcome: A student should be able to identify the processes of construction and deconstruction of ideas. They will also be able to build more robust and sophisticated arguments that can effectively cover a wider range of topics.

Session III: Supporting your Arguments

Learning Objective: Students learn to work with various forms of information such as facts, figures, and concepts to provide support to premises in their arguments. They will learn to assess, evaluate, and analyze statements and adapt language needed to create convincing positions across various topics.
Expected Outcome: Students will learn to search for, validate, and apply various pieces of information to their arguments.

Session IV: Presentation Skills

Learning Objective: Students will be introduced to the basics of public speaking and the use of adequate language in various contexts.
Expected Outcome: Through this session, students will be able to structure effective speeches, understand how to respond to questions and comments, and adjust according to the nature of the engagement.

Freestyle Practice

These practice sesions use a variety of popular debate formats to help students evaluate their learned skills. Each sessions typically involves giving speeches and then receiving personalized feedback from the instructor.

Upcoming Workshops

The list of workshops is refreshed frequently so please bookmark this page for your convenience.

Sessions are temporarily paused. They will resume later in the year. Thanks for your interest!

All the sessions will take place on the Zoom link given here: Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4147333854?pwd=eDNZckJRT3VnVUU2V1RQOE05Y0hlQT09
Meeting ID: 414 733 3854
Passcode: n8zxyx