For over 2,000 years, debate has been a cornerstone of western education, fostering critical thinking, engagement, and communication skills. At DU, we incorporate debates across disciplines, helping students navigate complex topics with confidence. This approach deepens understanding, encourages open dialogue, and equips students with skills essential for academic and professional success.
What Is Debate as Pedagogy
History of Debate as Pedagogy
Debating has been a pedagogy on which educators in the Western tradition have relied since Plato challenged his students at the Academy over 2000 years ago. Through a combination of motivation and structured exposure to course content, debating encourages students to develop the skills and dispositions that encourage critical reflection, engagement with course material and improvement in the capacity and willingness to practice the communication skills required for social, economic and civic success.Ìý
Debate as Pedagogy at DU
Nearly every discipline can employ this powerful approach. ÌýAt DU, we’ve designed debates for courses ranging from Introduction to Gender Studies to Anatomy and Physiology. ÌýOur results speak for themselves: students report a greater appreciation for course material and improvement in their ability navigate uncertainty. ÌýFaculty report that students discuss subjects enthusiastically and are more engaged in instruction following a debate exercise. Ìý
More Theories & Perspectives
Check out the following resources for more theory and perspective on using pedagogical debating in your own classes:
±õ²Ô , Robert Litan of the Brookings Institution makes the case that DCI not only can revolutionize education in America, but teach much-needed citizenship skills to millions of students across the US.Ìý
Columbia University's Deanna Kuhn outlines a curriculum designed to get Ìýstudents arguing with each other in . ÌýSupported by extensive research, Kuhn's approach produces impressive results in students' literacy.Ìý
Gerald Graff of the University of Illinois contends that argument is the foundation of the "life of the mind" that universities are intended to develop.  is a call to action for all university faculty.Ìý
A classic of argumentation pedagogy,  by Diana Hess of the University of Wisconsin illuminates the connection between citizenship and argumentation skills that should be part of all classrooms.
