NADA 2015 ELECTIVES
TUESDAY 25 AUGUST 2:30 PM
Bexley Brown LAF 100
Speech after silence: fostering political speech in new democracies
This will be a lecture focusing on the liberalization of soviet- and post-soviet
Russia in comparative to the political reintegration of east to west Germany. Both
regimes use distinct methods both successful and unsuccessful in promoting
speech, political engagement, and the restructuring of political and human rights
for populations in formerly oppressive states
Sergei Naumoff LAF 102
PAX RUSSICA: HOW RUSSIANS VIEW FOREIGN POLICY How to debate on
Putin's Russia? We start from a fun exercise on Russian and American mapping
stereotypes and try to get why the world map looks different to Russians. Then
we discuss Putin’s strategy to "reconstitute the Old Russian Empire" using the
concepts of "areas of influence" and Russian language as lingua franca. Finally,
we examine how the issues of identity, language, and history have been
interpreted by Russian foreign policy actors.
Sophie Scharlin-Pettee LAF 111
"Well, Where Do I Start?: A Beginner's Guide to Prep and Making
Arguments"
What do you do when you know next-to-nothing about a topic or are just plain
stuck on where to start your arguments? Here's a lecture that will offer some
sure-fire strategies for how to begin generating relevant and important ideas for
your prep when you're feeling unsure of the first or next step.
Franny Solnick & Isabella Olson LAF 307
Learn about the International System.
international organizations including the UN, ICC, WHO, -study past
successes/ failures that can be used as examples in debates -look at political
theory relating to international orgs/governmental structures, such as "The
Leviathan", and the problems faced with increased global connections. -review
motions involving these actors. Learn about different types of foreign policy with
regards to different nations. Learn how to win a debate on international relations
without having to know the nitty gritty details of every nation.
Ryan Tarte LAF 300
Beat The Heat: Debating Climate Change Solutions
Debates rarely come down to the terrifying effects of climate change. To take the
one in a climate change debate you need to be the team providing the solution.
This elective will answer questions such as: Can we stop climate change? How
do we do it?
WEDNESDAY 26 AUGUST 2:30 PM
Duncan Crowe LAF 307
Consequentialism in BP: How to Use it, How to Deconstruct it, How to Use
Something Else
Increasingly in British Parliamentary debating Consequentialism, an approach to
moral philosophy that explains ‘goodness’ in terms of the consequences of taking
an action has become a form of default. This elective will look at possible
reasons this is the case, different ways to think about and motivate
consequentialist moral frameworks and finally how to motivate alternative moral
frameworks and why it might be tactically beneficial to do so.
Paul Gross LAF 102
HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE 1ST PROP
By the end of my debate career, there was no position I liked more than first
prop. I'll explain how and why it's the best position, and how to set up a debate to
ensure strong performance.
Sergei Naumoff LAF 111
RUSSIA, UKRAINE AND EUROPE
What are the key drivers behind the Russia’s government policy in Eastern
Europe? We are going to address both the evolution of the EU’s strategy towards
its neighbors to the East, and Russia’s perception of the EU in the context of
crisis over Ukraine. EU and US sanctions against Russia over Ukraine crisis
efficiency will be discussed in comparison to Iran/North Korea/Cuba. The Kosovo
analogy to justify the annexation of Crimea in 2014 will be examined as well.
Practice will include working on two-state solution approach for Ukraine using the
Israel/Palestine model.
Franny Solnick LAF 100
Translating Judging into Debating Strategy - go over basics of judging (not
necessarily the practices covered in briefings, etc, but more on the thought
process of judges) -apply a judging metric to debate strategy, such as how to
persuade judges, how to make speeches easier to judge, how to view rounds
you are debating in from the perspective of the judge -how to apply judge
feedback to self-improvement
Sophie Scharlin-Pettee LAF 300
"When the F-Word isn't Actually Bad At All: A Beginner's Guide to Debating
Feminism"
Ever struggle to define feminism? Feel like those "feminism debates" always turn
into a tangled mess? Not really sure what it is or what those sneaky "goals" of
the Feminist Movement are or should be? Here's a lecture that will demystify the
F-Word and hopefully help you debate this tricky subject and maybe even get
you interested in how it works in daily life.
THURSDAY 27 AUGUST 2:30 PM
Sophie Scharlin-Pettee LAF 100
"How to Get the 1 (Or How to Not Get the Four): A Beginner's Guide to
Simple Strategy"
Know nothing about a topic? Are you back-half and your front team has taken
everything? Is the debate feeling uncomfortably close? Here's a lecture that will
outline strategy for how to make you and your partner the most important team in
the debate, or at worst, how to get anything but the four.
Duncan Crowe LAF 102
Approaches to Opening Opposition
This elective will look at various ways to approach Opening Opposition,
traditionally regarded as one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult, positions
in BP. We will look at alternative ways to approach constructing an opening
opposition case strategically, in terms of both making maximum use of prep time
and positioning yourself well with respect to other teams. We will also consider
the question of whether Opening Opposition has become easier due to changes
in judging paradigms over the years.
Megan Towles LAF 111
DEBATING FOR JUDGES & JUDGING DEBATERS
Because in he WUDC format you can be a debater and a judge while an
undergraduate, there are opportunities for debaters to see things from the other
side. Learn how the judging process works, how the decisions are made in
consensus, what judges do and do not notice, and how you can take advantage
of these situations as a debater.
Isabella Olson LAF 300
Middle Eastern Relations
Understand the background and histories behind current on going conflicts in the
Middle East, what middle eastern nations are doing about it, and how the west
interacts with these nations.
Ryan Tartre LAF 307
Debating art and cultural artifacts
Art has an incredible cultural significance in the modern world, but 19th and 20th
century art thieves and archaeologists have led to the proliferation of artifacts in
museums and private collections across the world. This elective answers the
questions: What is the significance of these pieces? Who should have ownership
over these pieces?
FRIDAY 28 AUGUST 2:30 PM
Camara Hudson LAF 111
Making Sense of Race in Debate - Rachel Dolezal, Black Lives Matter and
White Feminism
Debate About Race and ethnicity are Sometimes hard and can be quite tricky if
you lack the right information. We will be talking about everything from the ways
That is Looked at race around the world to the quick case for more news anchors
of color, race and why even bleeds into debates over feminism and other topics.
Duncan Crowe LAF 100
Democracy and Debating
This elective will consider different aspects of democracy as they come up in
debating. What is democracy for? What function does it serve within a wider
account of the liberal state. How should voting be understood and what are
various standard arguments that can be made of either side of frequent debates
about democracy. Finally how might we understand democracy as practiced in
Western Liberal democracies in contrast to the practice of democracy in the
developing world, or in dictatorships or in corporate and commercial settings.
Paul Gross LAF 102
THE FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW TO DO WELL IN 90% OF
ECONOMICS DEBATES
Currency valuation/devaluation, basic theories of taxation and gov't spending,
supply & demand, investor confidence & moral hazard, sovereign debt. I will
discuss these thrilling topics with enthusiasm, vigor, and (hopefully) clarity.
Megan Towles LAF 300
REFUTE THIS! Basic Refutation with Drills
Learn how to refute economically and with a sense of what needs to be refuted.
See examples and learn techniques. You requested this elective, and now here it
is!