Creativity: Debate Club

           Over the last first semester of the academic year 2013-2014, the CAS activity that I have participated in is for the Creativity portion of CAS. The activity that I have taken up is joining the debate club. I have not though, formally started the activity, in terms of filling in a formal CAS log. This was due to the fact that I submitted by proposal late and kept forgetting to get the proposal signed by my activity supervisor. I have however, finally got my proposal approved, and when we come back to school in January, will formally start to fill in my CAS log. I have however, got a letter signed that validates that I have been present at debate club meetings ranging 1 hour and 30 minutes on the dates written in the letter.

Above is my signed CAS proposal form

Above is the letter, noting the dates when I was present at debate club meeting

            The proposal shows what I planned on doing and the learning outcomes that I felt I would achieve from the CAS activity. So far, I feel that I have done what I planned and are achieving the learning outcomes that I set. What I have found to be different then my thoughts before I joined the debate club is the overall format of debates. At first, I thought that you simply had two different groups in opposition to each other, but I did not have any idea about the formal format of a debate, such as is used in competitions. I learned that there are motions, and opposition and affirmative sides. I did know that there are teams, but I did not know about the exact number of speakers nor the overall format of the process of a debate, with rebuttals, arguments, and reply speakers. The style that is mostly used in my country is Asian parliamentary, which was also something new, as I did not know there were different formats. I also learned that you have to do a lot of research prior to a debate, as I first thought that it was more on the spot. You also need to rely on your team mates a lot more than I previously thought. I think that it helps to teach you to do your best in your part and to trust the people that you are teamed up with. I think that all who join the club have learned more about creating good arguments for a solid debate. For myself, I am becoming better at understanding how to look at a motion and build a strong case around it, whether I am on the affirmative or opposition side.

            My experiences throughout one semester of joining the debate club has changed my perception about debate as I now don’t see a debate as simply a debate, even in a competition, but more how you would use the term debate day to day, where you actually argue about something’s that can be important. Of course it does depend on the motion and the side that you are assigned, which directs what you have to defend that I sometimes don’t really agree with, however it does show you the different points of view that can be taken to support either side of the motion. You also learn to look closely and examine the case that you build to get rid of holes that can cause you to lose the debate. It has been an informative activity to take part in.

            Something that I enjoyed about debate club is when you have built a really strong case with good supporting evidence, as you can’t wait to use the arguments that you have come up with. I feel that it can be a draining activity sometimes, but once you understand how it works you can start to like it. Joining the debate club has overall been an interesting activity for me.