UMKC Summer Debate Institute - 2008

Check the FAQ page for more information

Foundations of SDI
Costs
Payment Options
Curriculum
SDI Guarantee
Accelerated Learning Labs
The SDI Experience
Staff

Preliminary Schedule

Foundations of SDI

The UMKC Summer Debate Institute is founded on the winning tradition of the UMKC Debate Program. SDI hires the finest staff and utilizes high-quality instruction facilities. SDI instruction can help you to succeed wherever you debate. We will provide quality instruction in all forms of debate, from lay judge adaptation skills to national circuit debate. SDI will focus on teaching performance and theory, as well as research techniques. You will receive hundreds of pages of completed research before the Institute even begins. This allows SDI to spend more time improving your debate skills.

 

Curriculum

SDI offers a thorough curriculum of theory, style, research and topic instruction. We will have lectures on general debate theories, such as topicality, that cover the foundations of topicality and then apply it to the 2008 topic. Specific seminar topics will include:

• Affirmatives on the Topic
• Negatives on the Topic
• Topicality
• Kritiks
• Disadvantages
• Counterplans

 

SDI Guarantees:

• Hands-On Instruction, in Smaller Labs (at most 1 instructor per 8 students)
• Intensive Argument Discussions, Including Exceptional Lectures From Some of the Country's Finest Coaches and Debaters.
• Debates, Debates, and More Debates with Practical and Experienced Judges
• A Personalized Research Practicum, Where Our Instructors Teach You How to Research Efficiently and Effectively, Without Spending Your Time Buried In A Book

Accelerated Learning Labs

Introducing the UMKC Summer Debate Institute's Accelerated Learning Labs (ALL), The Only Labs in the Nation Specifically Designed For Less Experienced or Novice Debaters.

The SDI Experience

SDI is hosted on the beautiful campus of the University of Missouri-Kansas City . UMKC has highly advanced instruction facilities that will enhance the camp experience. The dormitory is situated close to the cafeteria and to instruction rooms for SDI. Accommodations will be made for dietary needs as well as religious needs of each student.

Instruction will occur from 9am to 9pm (for residential camp), and will include sufficient breaks for meals and recreation.

Team-taught laboratories allow each student to receive intensive individualized instruction.

Labs divided by experience level will allow each student to get the proper instruction for her/his level.

The Staff

The SDI staff includes successful, nationally recognized college and high school debate coaches, as well as highly competitive college debaters. We are proud to have one of the most diverse staffs in the activity. The low ratio of student to staff will guarantee that each student receives personalized attention.

Some of the likely staff for the 2008 SDI include:

• Matt Vega--Currently the Director of Debate at the University of Missouri - Kansas City, and Director of the Summer Debate Institute.
• Justin Stanley--The Director of Debate at Illinois State University. Justin has coached several NDT qualifiers, elim participants and has coached a team to the finals of the National Debate Tournament.
• Heather Walters--Currently the Assistant Coach at Missouri State University. Heather has worked at many high school institutes and brings an extremely high work ethic and a record of coaching success.
• Bryce Dietrich--Currently an Graduate Student at the University of Kansas, Bryce has been a lab leader at the UMKC SDI for the past 4 years. Bryce has a great reputation as a lab leader that is able to communicate complex debate ideas to debaters with limited debate experience.
• Malcolm Gordon--Currently a 4th year debater at UMKC. Malcolm is a very successful debater clearing three times at the National Debate Tournament, and is also an experienced instructor at the high school level.
• Gabe Cook--Currently runs the Kansas City Urban Debate League. Gabe was a very successful college debater, qualifying for the National Debate Tournament 4 times. He has coaching experience at both the high school and college level.
• Todd Jordan--Currently the Assitant Coach at UMKC, Todd debated for Kansas University where he qualified to the National Debate Tournament 4 times and cleared multiple times at CEDA Nationals.
  

 

 

 

.