Echoes: Feedback and Aftershocks

Hello, debaters.

I wanted to share with you a few words from our college leadership.

First, Dr. Rachel Johnson, an Assistant Dean and Professor of Psychology (and one of our wonderful faculty advisors) reported on a few of her conversations after the event. In include a slightly shortened version of her comments here:

Jonathan - 

How amazing to have students prepare arguments, in English, and speak in public. Just having achieved this is a great thing.  

I know my group . . . didn't have much time to prepare and as a consequence their content was quite weak. Their will to participate meant that this wouldn't hold them back.  Then, at the end all three were so proud of themselves.  One of them . . .  told me that she had been truly terrified.  But she'd been prepared to put herself through this ordeal.  She then told me that it was the first time ever that she'd spoken in public - she'd not performed before, even in front of a small group, even in Arabic.  She then said that now she knows that she can both speak in public and do this in English.  And so she's going to participate again.  She was very grateful to have had the experience and boost to self-esteem.

I also spoke with the Gulf News representatives [Bala and Sanjay].  The two blokes told me how MUCH they'd enjoyed the debate, how impressed they were with the students - their energy confidence insight humour and force.  They had also been impressed by your previous 'debate on debates'.   They told me to thank you on their behalf.

I also talked to [Aida Al Busaidy] and [Maysam Ali].  They shared similar views.  They were amazed to hear also that many of the women would be from the Northern Emirates.  They're keen to cover events outside of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, so will be in touch again with you, CHSS and probably Maryak Bayshak.  They want to know about any 'event' going on here that would be interesting to cover.

Dr Rachel Johnson

Assistant Dean, Planning and Assessment

Associate Professor, Psychology

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Second, the response from Dean Baker, who remarked how pleased and proud he was several times throughout the event:

Jonathon,

Permit me to add to Rachel's encomium my own hearty written congratulations

to you and our faculty colleagues for an extraordinarily successful start to

the debate culture on campus. It would not have been nearly so wonderful

without your personal skill in bringing it all together. Today's Gulf News

has two splendid stories. It was a great occasion, and the students'

enthusiasm was wonderful to behold. No doubt word is spreading among

students and you may be swamped with more recruits and the need to move to a

larger venue next time! 

 

[Dean Baker]

Of course, all the congratulations belong to you, the teams and squads and advisors who worked so hard behind the scenes. Let's keep it up!

And speaking of congratulations, here's a link to the continued coverage in Gulf News' Notes section. 

We're still waiting for pictures to trickle in, and will post them as soon as we can. In the meantime, remember our general meeting scheduled for Wednesday.

Among other things, we need to sign up new recruits, establish our student executive, approve a schedule for the next round of debates, discuss last week's event, and (maybe) have a short training session on evidence. It will be a busy but important meeting. 

See you there!

We Have Winners!

Results of the inaugural debates are in!

Let's begin with some congratulations and recognitions:

First, we are very pleased to report that all of the teams performed admirably: despite some initial difficulties with scheduling and preparation, we were able to move ahead with the three debates as scheduled. They are all winners, and we are very proud of them for their courage and commitment.

Second, thanks ever so much to our dedicated faculty advisors: in the batter's box this month were Dr. Said, Dr. Rachel, Dr. Sally, Dr. Dawn, and Mr. Tim. They were a great help to the squads, and in turn the squads were a great help to the teams they chose to represent them. It was a wonderful night of stirring, energetic, and intelligent debate. 

Third, thanks to Saba and Mai for "speaking up" and volunteering to moderate and keep the debates on schedule. They were both wonderful, and helped make the evening a delightful affair for all.

Fourth, thanks also to the Dean and our partners at Gulf News and in the Women's Day organizing committee: Barb Struthers, Basil Muir, and, of course, the unsinkable Monique Holtzhausen. Well done, all!

Last, but certainly not least, the debates were judged by three leading lights in UAE Society--all accomplished women, and all very gracious for agreeing to join us: Ms. Maysam Ali of Gulf News--Notes, Ms. Aida Al Busaidy of dubaigroup/Dubai One, and Dr. Maryam Bayshak of our very own CHSS: fitting that as assistant dean of student success she was there to help us celebrate the successes of our debate society members.

Winners, in order of debate:

Debate 1: Squad 2, represented by Fadwa Baraba, Shaikha Naqbi, and Haya Tenaiji 

Debate 2: Squad 3, represented by Aamna Mazrooei, Maryam Al Shamsi, and Ehsan Al Maamari

Debate 3: Squad 5, represented by Haifa Hydrose, Fatima Deria, and Ruaa Abdulla

Best Overall Team for the March 4 debates: Squad 5

Congratulations to all of you for a very fine and very successful first evening of debate! We look forward to more next month!

Pictures to follow: for now look here and here for coverage in Gulf News. We're famous!

Motion Assignments: March Debates

Hello, all. Here are the assignments, by motion, for the March 4 debates:

Squad 1 v. Squad 2

Motion 1: This House believes that governance is best reserved for men.

Squad 3 v. Squad 4

Motion 3: This House would require professional schools in the Gulf (medicine, law, etc.) to reserve half of their seats for women.

Squad 5 v. Squad 6

Motion 2: This House believes that the best boss is a woman boss. 

Odd numbered squads will be the proposition, even numbered squads will be the opposition. 

Squad lists have been sent to all members and advisors. Please check with me if you have problems/questions.

Reminder: squads should meet this week to discuss and debate the motion, select a team of 3 to represent them on March 4, and help them prepare.

Good luck, and we'll see you on March 4!

JFK on the Press

This video is edited for a specific set of purposes. But if you ignore the images, and heed the text, you'll get some sense for why the freedom of the media is so important: "to inform, to arouse, to reflect, to state our dangers and our opportunities, to indicate our crises and our choices, to lead, mold, educate, and sometimes even anger public opinion."

Motions: March Debates

Our apologies to the members of the Society who couldn't find us last week: we moved down the hall to room 134 for our training. A notice was sent out to you, but apparently it was not clear enough. When we get the calendar functioning properly, we'll make sure to include information about dates, times, and locations from now on.

Minutes from the meeting

We met last Wednesday for our first general assembly meeting/orientation. Several more students signed up, we reviewed the information available on the blog, and discussed issues/potential motions for our first debates.

It was decided that we would mount two debates for March 4, with several motions being proposed. After careful consideration, Dr. Penny has revised them as follows (students or advisors who wish to suggest changes may do so before Monday):

Motion the first:

This House believes that governance is best reserved for men.

Motion the second:

This House believes that the best boss is a woman boss.

Motion the third (alternate):

This House would require companies to hire women at all levels.

What next?

In the next post, we will present the lists with the names of each squad and their advisor, and indicate who will be the proposition and who will be the opposition for each motion. Advisors will be contacting you Sunday or Monday to arrange a time and a place to meet this week to prepare for the debate.

• Quick reminder: the debates will consist of two or three 5 minute speeches and one 3 minute summation per side. We will begin precisely at 6:30 (and possibly at 6:00--check here soon) on March 4th in the Cinema Room of MQ80, and will plan to be finished no later than 8:00. Each debate will require 30-35 minutes, and the judges will deliberate for 10 following the debates. 
  
• Spectators will have an opportunity to participate following the debate by offering "points of information" or new arguments in a public discussion.  
  

However, the debates themselves will be restricted to the squads, and each squad will need to choose a team of 2-3 debaters to represent them on stage. Use your small meetings this week to practice, prepare, and choose the best representatives. Argue the motion from both sides to help you prepare.

Hostelwork: Priming for our First Debate

Hello, debaters, supporters, advisors, and curious others!

After our launch this past week, we will begin preparing for the first formal debates, which will take place on March 4 as part of the university's International Women's Day celebrations. 

Here's what we're going to do for the next couple of weeks as we get ready.

1. This coming Wednesday, Feb 18, we'll be meeting in a general assembly to take in new members, review the rules of debate, and discuss issues of importance to women in the UAE and Gulf region. 
2. Small groups will meet together briefly and discuss what they have been reading in the Gulf News and other sources relating to women's rights, experiences, or perspectives.
   
3. Those groups will develop a specific motion following the models we've seen--something that forwards a specific policy, belief, or recommendation, and that can be supported with reasons.
4. The large group will select 3 specific motions for use in the debates, and departmental "squads" will then be assigned a motion and a side.
5. During the following week, individuals squads should actively and critically search for related materials in news media and other general sources, read and prepare reasons to support their particular side. 
6. Squads will then meet with their assigned faculty advisor to debate the issue in a small group, select 2 team members to represent them in the debate, and carefully prepare their speeches.

On March 4th, we will feature 2-3 debates in our inaugural meeting. Guest judges will be present to score the debates, but more important than the points you earn will be the quality of your thinking and your growing understanding of the structure and purpose of debates. And, as Mr. Sanjay told us, we should also enjoy ourselves!

Watch this space! 

Or rather, watch the space on the left entitled "Upcoming Debate": we'll be posting links to interesting articles, so please write with suggestions. You can simply comment below, send an email to JonathonP@uaeu.ac.ae, or share with your faculty advisor.

Here we go!

We have lift off!

The CHSS Debate Society was launched on Wednesday, February 11 in the Cinema Room of MQ80 on the women's campus of United Arab Emirates University.

The launch was attended by Dean Don Baker and several faculty representatives of the departments in our college (and one from Business!), around 80 students from the colleges of Humanities and Social Sciences and Business, and, of course, our partners from Gulf News: Messieurs Bala Krishnan and Sanjay Malik.

Dr. Baker spoke passionately about the potential of debate not only to enhance student experience and training, but also its potential to make substantial civic contributions: to advance discussion about matters that are important for you, your communities, your nation, and the region.

Bala and Sanjay introduced their ideas for a series of initiatives they've collected under the umbrella venture "QUEST: Newspapers in Education." They are starting, of course, with debate under the moniker "Listen Up!", and our "Speak Up!" is a proud first society in what we hope will be a network of college societies that come together to debate important issues. Stay tuned for more on the coming initiatives: there's something for everyone!

(Above: Mr. Bala Krishnan encourages debate as an essential component of social and intellectual progress. Below: Mr. Sanjay Malik introduces several other initiatives that will be rolled out in the coming months.)

Free Newspapers! Wallah!

We remind you that, in addition to their philosophical support, the good folks at Gulf News have generously gone "halfsies" with the College on a subscription of roughly 150 copies of their newspaper, which will be circulated to us at various points on campus on a daily basis for the next several months. Please feel free to read them on the spot or back in the hostels, and share them around. 

You can also access their online platform via the button on this page (top left), and should feel free to consult other news sources as well. We've provided links and headlines at various places in this blog.

Why?

You need to stay informed, whether you wish to debate or not! Know what's going on in your world and the world beyond it. Get interested! Think critically about events, information, reporting, perspective, consequence, and your place in all of it!

Of course, debaters need to stay informed so that their arguments are informed as well: you'll need to link your ideas to real events as much as possible. And one of the core rules of competitive debate, especially in a multidisciplinary setting like a university, is that the information we draw on be generally available, produced for a general audience. Newspapers, online news sources, and television news are a primary source of that kind of information.

A Caution

Of course, we must always engage critically with the news, however carefully and objectively it is reported. Journalists and editors are human: they have perspectives, they have purposes, and they work under certain pressures, just as we do in the university. So as we turn to them to shape our knowledge and understanding of the world, to give us access to events or facts we might not get ourselves, we must also remain a little skeptical: ask questions, compare versions, and always, always think!

Text of the Launch

Speak Up!

A partnership between UAEU’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences and Gulf News’ “Newspapers in Education” initiative

Where to find us (and more)

uaeudebate.blogspot.com

What is “debate”?

Well? What is it?

Discussion

Argument

Deliberation

Persuasion

From The Debaters: “Debate is combat, but your weapons are words.”

In action

Prime Minister Gordon Brown on the hot seat. . . 

And closer to home. . . the Doha Debates, journalist v. guest. 

Formal Debate
British Parliamentary style

An engagement in language between two or more persons or teams over an issue of shared interest and importance wherein each side

• presents a specific claim, called a motion,
  
• supports or opposes that motion by offering a chain of reasons based in evidence and critical thought,
  
• seeks to discredit their opponent’s position, 
  
• and therefore move the discussion forward.
  

How is it done?

First, we must establish the motion, something like

• “This House believes that immigrants to the UAE should be taxed.”
• “This House supports the establishment of post-secondary co-education.”
  

For? or Against?

Next, we establish who will speak for the motion, and who will speak against it.

• Those who speak for constitute the proposition.
  
• Those who speak against constitute the opposition.
  

Who goes first?

1. The proposition begins, outlining its basic position, and offering several fundamental reasons.
   
2. The opposition follows, responding to the proposition, and establishing its own position.
   
3. Each responds to the other in the same order, both undermining their opponents’ arguments, and strengthening or clarifying their own.
   
4. Finally, each side summarizes the strengths of its position, and points out the weaknesses in their opponents’ arguments.
   

Sound easy?

Let’s try it!

Motion of the proposition: 

“This House would require all students to participate in formal debates because. . .”

Opposition:

“This side of the House would not require all students to participate in formal debates because. . .”

What can debate do for you?

Debate reinforces skills already taught at the university:

Close reading

Interpretation

Analysis

Critical reasoning 

Argumentation

Rhetorical invention

Persuasion

Public speaking

What can you do for the Debate Society?

Cheer us on, keep us honest! 

Support communications and promotions

Help with the organization and administration

Contribute research, perspective, and constructive criticism

Debate! (Speak Up!)

Like what you see?

Sign up tonight!

Need some more time? Want to know more?

“Speak Up!” (uaeudebate.blogspot.com) is a great place to start!

Stay informed!

Next meeting (first training):

Wednesday, February 18

Cinema Room

6:30-8:00

Check our blog for details and updates.

Pictured above (l-r) rear: Dr. Ray Percival (Philosophy), Dr. Manfred Malzhan, Dr. Abdullah al Dabbagh, Dr. Jonathon Penny (English Literature), CHSS Dean Dr. Don Baker, Mr. Sanjay Malik (Gulf News), Dr. Duane Lacey (Philosophy); fore: Dr. Raja Bahlul (Philosophy), Mr. Bala Krishnan (Gulf News), Dr. Mohammed Tabishat (Sociology), Dr. Leon Holtzhausen (Social Work), Dr. Jamil Browson (Geography)