KIDA TALKS Guide to
Prepping for Debate Tournaments
Edited by JyaHyun Lee a.k.a Albert
The
burning summer and window-breaking typhoons are slowly giving way to the new
season: fall. In fall, the KIDA Cup will travel to another school that manages
to win yet another tournament. So, are you ready to debate?
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| Courtesy: Tae Young Kim |
Maybe,
you have spent too much time on the beach and gotten out of the ‘debate mode.’
It is time for all of us to get back into that mode, where we are ready to
argue the craziest cases and manage to convince people who pretend to be
judges. Here is a guide for you to remind yourself what you are made of: ARE (For
those of you who haven’t debated enough, ARE stands for Assertion, Reasoning,
and Evidence).
One
word of caution is due here. Know your level and know what you are looking for.
There is so much useful stuff online that you will definitely get lost in the
ocean of information unless you know what you need. Think of the feedbacks you
have received from trainers and adjudicators and figure out which area of
debate you need to work on. It may be that you want to watch some videos to
improve your manner, or you may need to read up and learn some principles (i.e.
First Principles) that may guide you through debates of any and all topics.
There is not much time left until KNC and pick and choose what you want to
improve until the tournament.
* NOTE: This is only the first version of this article. With your help, this article can grow into a collective distillation of Korea Debate experience! Any and all comments and links are highly appreciated!
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| It's actually my bookshelf, one that has books that have absolutely nothing in common. |
1. Read Up: Former KNC
and NEAO Champion, when I asked him what he wanted to share with the rest of
debate community what he thought would be a helpful advice for the debaters,
said “Read Up!” The importance of research, of the sometimes mundane
routine of reading the newspaper and the Economist everyday can never be emphasized
enough. Although current issues are not known to dominate the motion topics,
reading the news will equip you with the knowledge, understanding, and
information necessary for good debates.
2. Google it: There are
surprisingly rich, various, and high-quality debate-related information online.
You will have access to videos, cases, arguments, and debate instructions. Here
is a brief list of some of the most helpful ones.
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| What is Debate? Asked and answered, by Logan |
A. Learndebate.net: Logandran
Balavijendran, a.k.a. Logan, has put together this website that consists not
only written explanations of basic debate information, but also videos of
himself explaining them. Debate has never been this accessible to rookies. To
use all the contents on the site, you must create a new account and log in. The
site focuses on Asian Parliamentary format but the videos can be applied across
debate formats. Perhaps the best resource online for Rookie debaters. (www.learndebate.net). Thank you Logan!
Courtesy: Logan
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| Courtesy: MAD |
B. MAD (Monash
Association of Debaters): Surprisingly big number of even experienced
debaters do not even know that this website exists. If you are looking for
written material guiding you through your debate career, you got them here.
Monash Association of Debaters (MAD) is known as one of the most successful
debating societies in the world and is quite active in sharing its expertise in
debate through Journals, Guides, and etc. On this website, you have a wide
range of resources including debate videos, lectures, debate handbooks, matter
files, and etc. Here is a list of some of the most useful resources.
ii. MAD Training Handbook: Useful for
both rookies and experienced debaters.
iii. Training Guide for University Debating: The word is,
learn the First Principles to get ahead!
iv. Debate Videos: Contains some BP videos
at Worlds
C. Miscellaneous
i. Debatabase: Accessible, ready-made
debate cases consisting of background information, arguments,
counter-arguments, and links to related articles. Best for rookies and
intermediate debaters
ii. Debatepedia: The Wikipedia of
debates! Same principle as Debatabase but more detailed and based on written
material from online sources. Best for rookies and intermediate debaters
iii. LearnDebate.net_VIDEO: Videos,
Videos, and more Videos! Consisting the total of 326 Australs, BP, and AP
videos taken in tournaments around the world in the last few years
iv. DebateVideo: Provides debate videos,
lectures, and other material in a variety of debate formats. Suitable for
someone experience of debate and is used to different debate styles.
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| So What is the Right Thing To Do? |
3. Learn the
Real stuff: It is one thing to watch debate videos everyday, and quite another
to read and learn the specific disciplines of studies that provide the
knowledge for debate. Here is a very brief list of links to non-debate
resources that may help you do better.
A. Justice: The famous
book and lecture series by Michael Sandel, Professor of Political Philosophy at
Harvard University. Close look at the lectures alone will give you an idea of
how to base your arguments in certain philosophy.
B. SNOW: Online
compilation of educational videos. The current collection amount to thousands
and thousands, some of which have Korean or English scripts. Will be of good
use, only if you know what you are looking for.
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