Top Electives from International Debate Academy

Steve Llano judges a debate

Here are the rankings of the electives as voted on by the students. The faculty names were not on the ballots the students did the ranking with. There were 70+ to pick from, and here are the top 45 that were offered as well as the sessions offered for trainers/students who were interested.

We are loading the bus now, on our way to Maribor for the tournament. More news when the tournament concludes, as I may not have Internet there.

1 Politics, aka how to win debates on political theory against politics students, by a politics postgrad. Rhydian
2 Economics, aka how to win debates on economics against economists, by an economics grad. Rhydian
3 POINTS OF INFORMATION FOR MEANIES-Get the down and dirty about how to ask mean points and give mean answers. Learn how to take their points and make them count towards your victory. Not for the squeamish. Use some of these with care. Optional funny lines will also be provided. Tuna
4 "Persuasive Argumentation" There is no doubt that when you watch two people make exactly the same argument one can be much more persuasive, effective and high impact than the other. How do they do it? In this practical session we will think about use of language, example, image, types of argument and structure and how to make the most of our arguments. Newman
5 Philosophy, aka how to beat utilitarians in debate, by a philosophy postgrad. Rhydian
6 "How to win a debate from First Proposition" The stats are against you but in this session we will think about how a first proposition team can stamp their presence and dictate the terms of a debate. This session will be strategic and would suit the more experienced debaters. Newman
7 MINE IS BIGGER THAN YOURS-An explanation and evaluation of various measures by which you can show that your arguments are more important than theirs. Useful later in the debate and especially in the whip speech. In a debate where both sides are winning some issues, you need to show that yours come first. Tuna
8 Motion Analysis-Tips on how to interpret debate motions and find the core issues of debate. Bojana
9 Saving a Bad Upper House Debate- What to do when your Upper House teams are not doing what they are supposed to do? Tips on how to win the debate at the Lower House when the people upstairs are under-performing. Loke
10 "Killer Rebuttal"-How can you most effectively undermine your oppositions arguments? What should you prioritise in rebuttal? What different types of rebuttal are available? Newman
11 Psychology of Persuasion - the 10 most important things you need to know about influence and persuasion. Langone
12 REVIEWING EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE ABOUT SPEAKING STYLE-This presentation will inspect experimental findings about which speaking styles and mannerisms are most persuasive to audiences. While the research is not based in debate, it has been replicated and confirmed to be the actual situation in real life. Learn how to avoid powerless language, learn which hand gestures to avoid, learn which posture is most persuasive and a lot more. This presentation will not cover the use of aroma. Tuna
13 Advocating Marxism Rhydian
14 Classical rhetorical theory Steve
15 Advanced opposition strategy Steve
16 Zen debating - knifing without the knife Rhydian
17 "Identifying extensions" What do you when you're second half of the table on a tight case? how can you fulfill your role and win the debate from the 3rd speech? Newman
18 Religious based law- a short introduction into Sharia, Jewish and Canon law Branka
19 Law, aka how to beat lawyers in debates about law, by a man who hates lawyers. Rhydian
20 Extensions; how to speak brilliantly as the third speaker in British Parliamentary debates. Steve
21 Samurai debate Steve
22 Karadzic, Taylor, al-Bashir: (International) criminal law and international law in development, and how it changes common notions of fairness and the role of the state. Fischer
23 Seeing the forest in all those trees: How to stun judges by broadening your view and making debates genuinely interesting. Fischer
24 UN 101 Branka
25 "Debating "ban/legalise" motions" A significant number of motions call for us to ban or legalise something - what are the generic ways of approaching these motions successfully? Newman
26 NATO 101 Branka
27 Framing -- the importance and effectiveness of framing; how to frame issues in a debate in the manner most favorable to you. Langone
28 A Dozen from Dylan - 12 winning arguments you can use in debates and the Bob Dylan songs that inspired them. Langone
29 Rhetoric & style Rhydian
30 How to use the 15-minute prep for BP to best effect; Greenland
31 Evidence Branka
32 Known unknowns and the big question: The connection between debating and science, and why you don't have to know everything to win your debate. Also: What gravity can teach us. Fischer
33 Strategic POIings-Tips on how to make the most of the POIs as an "offerer" or a receiver. Loke
34 Preparation before the tournament, preparation at the tournament Bojana
35 Jurisprudence -- how to win legal debates by reframing them as "justice" debates. Langone
36 Reasoning -- a return to basics, but with a twist. A detailed taxomony and evaluation of the forms of reasons, reason giving and reasoning. Langone
37 Counter proposals Branka
38 Who's losing the game? How to do a proper stakeholder analysis and how to prepare for victorious debates. Fischer
39 EU 101Branka
40 Debating the environment Colston
41 On Squirrels and Weasels: How to avoid stupid mistakes, and how (not) to deal with the idiocies of your opponents. Fischer
42 Right of self determination Branka
43 International relations and how to use that in BP/Worlds topics. Greenland
44 "Generating arguments in prep", How do you come up with arguments on 15 minutes on a whole range of topics you may know little about? How do you make sure you hit on the most important issues? Newman
45 Debating internationally as an English Foreign Language speaker Bojana
46 Debating mass media Colston
47 Debating gender Colston


Coach/Trainers Elective Sessions
* Debate formats Loke
* Promoting and maintaining your debate club Steve
* Drills and games to teach debate Greenland/Newman
* Curriculum development Greenland
* Creating lesson plans, creating workshop Greenland
* Training program model Greenland
* Adjudication Greenland
* Team based research strategy Jens
* Basic coaching tips Morgan
* Team building Marusic
* Organising and running debate club Bojana
* Creating and coordinating the network of debate clubs Bojana
* Fundraising for debate Bojana
* Organising debate tournament Bojana
* Organising public debate Loke/Skrt
* Promotion of debate activities Morgan