In the year of the European Elections, the Association of German Speaking University Debating Societies (VDCH) chose to make Europe the main focus of its work. For that purpose, it participates in conducting 22 public “European Debates” in 7 countries, to invite students and the broad public to actively take part in debates concerning the most important subjects of European policy. Also, this years’ German-Speaking University Debating Championship was held under the motto “Speaking German – Thinking European” and hosted participants from many other European countries. As a prominent part of the thematic focus on Europe, the VDCH and two member ...

For the eleventh time, the Leiden Debating Union will host the Leiden Open. The tournament will last from February 28 to March 1 and features five preliminary rounds and breaks into semi-finals as well as a novice final. The tournament will be on Saturday and Sunday, but there will be a social on Friday night. A detailed schedule will be announced soon on the tournament’s facebook event. There will be one Chief Adjudicator (CA) with three Deputy Chief Adjudicators (DCAs): CA Daan Welling won last year’s Leiden Open and was a finalist at the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC) in Berlin 2013. ...

It is one of the oldest tournaments in Europe: This December, for the 16th time, the SSE Riga IV will take place. Latvia’s capital is European Capital of Culture in 2014.  The British Parliamentary Style-tournament will have five preliminary rounds and a break to quarterfinals as well as a novice final. On Saturday night, a spiritual debate will take place. Steven Ramesh Rajavinothan and Gediminas Užkuraitis are Chief Adjudicators. Both the Tabmaster and the Equity Officer are yet to be announced. Up to 72 teams can participate in the tournament. For more information, see the facebook event. Ruta Gabalina is the ...

On the weekend of November 14-15, the Debattierklub Wien will host a novice tournament in British Parliamentary Style (BPS). Everyone with less than a year of experience in debating and over the age of 18 may participate in the four rounds with a direct break into final. Speeches will be only five minutes long. Peer Klüßendorf, Madlen Stottmeyer and Ioana Stupariu will be the Chief Adjudicators. Additional information can be found at the tournament’s facebook event. Here is the information in a nutshell: Date: November 14-15 Chief Adjudicators: Peer Klüßendorf, Madlen Stottmeyer, Ioana Stupariu Team cap: 32 Rounds: Four preliminary rounds, final Registration Fee: €35, including ...

Deutschland wird wieder Austragungsort einer Debattierweltmeisterschaft! Vom 19.-29. Juli 2016 findet die World Schools Debating Championship (kurz World Schools oder WSDC) in Stuttgart statt. Um nicht gleich mit der Tür ins Haus zu fallen, zunächst einmal: Was sind die World Schools? Ins Leben gerufen wurde die WSDC 1988 in Australien. Nachdem damals in Sydney die World Universities Debating Championship (WUDC) ausgerichtet wurde, veranstalteten Mitglieder der Australian Debating Federation um Christopher Erskine erstmalig ein Pendant für Schüler. Waren es 1988 nur sechs Nationen - Australien, England, Hong Kong, Kanada, Neuseeland und die USA -, so ist das Turnier mittlerweile auf rund 50 Teilnehmerländer ...

The Lund Debate Society invites debaters to Sweden for its Lund IV 2014. The tournament will feature five preliminary rounds and a break into quarterfinals as well as a novice final. The organisers advertise the competition via the Facebook event, highlighting the 4-star hotel accommodation, the breakfast buffet, and the fact that the out rounds will take place in the hotel. The Chief Adjudicators (CAs) of Lund IV will be a team of four debaters: Ashish Kumar was champion of the European University Debating Championships (EUDC) in 2013 and Deputy Chief Adjudicator (DCA) of Zagreb EUDC 2014. Madeline Schultz won the Australasian Intervarsity ...

2011 in Münster: Auf einem meiner ersten Turniere, dem Münsteraner Nikolausturnier, unterhielt ich mich das erste mal mit Willy Witthaut über SkypeDebates. Ich war begeistert von der Idee, einen weiteren Tag meiner Woche mit Debattieren verbringen zu können. Kurz nach diesem Gespräch trat ich der Facebook-Gruppe bei, über welche die Organisation damals lief. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt befanden sich die SkypeDebates allerdings bereits auf dem absteigendem Ast. Ich wurde somit der Chance beraubt, selbst an einer solchen Debatte teilzunehmen. 2014 in Zagreb: Da einige meiner Freunde aus der Debattierszene auf der internationalen Ebene beschlossen, in ihre Heimatländer zurückzukehren, wurden die Europameisterschaften in ...

Das Internetzeitalter hat auch das Debattieren verändert. Das Leben wird digital, Wissen wird frei verfügbar und Kommunikation so einfach wie nie - wenn man sich findet. Denn das Internet ist leider sehr unübersichtlich. Inspirierende Blogbeiträge, erhellende Hintergrundartikel und unbekannte Perspektiven können leicht verloren gehen. Deshalb verschafft die Achte Minute an dieser Stelle einen Überblick über die wichtigsten Ressourcen, die frei zugänglich von Debattierern für Debattierer bereitgestellt werden. Das Spektrum reicht von metatheoretischen Abhandlungen bis hin zu lustigen Videos. Akademische Lektüre Der erfolgreiche australische Debattierclub Monash Association of Debaters veröffentlicht seit 2002 jährlich das Monash Debating Review. Das Journal kann Beiträge von sehr hoher ...

It is the first international debating tournament in British Parliamentary Style (BPS) in Macedonia: Skopje Open will take place on the weekend of November 7-9, 2014. Up to 32 teams can register now. The tournament costs €50 per participant, including accommodation in a hotel and three meals per day, organiser Milka Gerovska says. For people arriving early because they directly come from Thessaloniki Open on the preceding weekend, the organisers will provide with crash accommodation or a cheap hostel. The convener of the tournament is the Youth Educational Forum (YEF), an NGO that has organized many debate competitions before, more than ...

Das Debattieren in Oxford unterscheidet sich deutlich von anderen Debattierclubs auf der Welt. Gegründet 1823, ist die Oxford Debating Union die zweitälteste universitäre Debattiergesellschaft Englands. (Die älteste Union befindet sich in einer Kleinstadt nördlich von London.) Jedes Mitglied der University of Oxford kann der Union für knapp £250 lebenslänglich beitreten. Dafür wird auch einiges geboten: Zum Beipiel eine Bar mitsamt Angestellten, eine normale Bibliothek, eine wunderschöne alte Bibliothek, Snooker-Tische, diverse Räumlichkeiten und als Herzstück die Debating Chamber. [caption id="attachment_24563" align="alignleft" width="400"] (c) Michael Saliba[/caption] Ein unfassbar hohes Jahresbudget (im höheren sechsstelligen Bereich), gepaart mit altehrwürdigem Glanz führt dazu, dass kaum eine Rednereinladung der ...

From the 7th to the 9th November, the annual Tilbury House IV will take place in Cologne, Germany. The event will combine the debate tournament with the 2nd European Debates Conference. There will therefore be a public debate with politicians on an European issue. The tournament features five preliminary rounds with seven minute speeches and a break to the semi-finals. Chief Adjudicators (CAs) of the tournament will be Yael Bezalel, former finalist of the European Universities Debating Championship (EUDC) in the category English as a Second Language (ESL) and judge of the EUDC ESL final 2014; and Pete Doughton, octo-final ...

Der Council der European Universities Debating Championships (EUDC, Euros) bestimmt jedes Jahr, wo die übernächste EUDC ausgerichtet werden wird. Am Samstag, dem 23.08., dem letzten Tag der EUDC 2014 in Zagreb, entschied sich der Council für Warschau als Austragungsort der EUDC 2016. Neben der Vergabe der zukünftigen Euros und trifft das Gremium jedoch auch andere Entscheidungen, die die Europäischen Debattiermeisterschaften als Ganzes betreffen. Achte Minute-Korrespondent Nikos Bosse hat die deutsche Repräsentantin Teresa Widlok zum Council-Meeting begleitet und fasst die Ereignisse zusammen. Etwa fünfzig Debattierer aus ganz Europa saßen im Council zusammen, um sich zu beraten und Entscheidungen für das europäische ...

The World Universities Debating Championship (WUDC) is the largest international debating tournament. The first WUDC took place in Glasgow in 1981. Back then, 43 teams from seven nations participated. This year, more than 400 teams from all continents compete for the title of World Debating Champion. The WUDC 2015 will take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is hosted by The Debate Society of the Universiti Technologiki Mara, one of the largest universities in Malaysia. The tournament starts on December 26th and lasts until January 3rd. The organisers published the following video:   Adjudication Team Chief Adjudicators (CAs) of the Malaysia Worlds will be ...

The European Universities Debate Champions 2014 have been announced. In the category English as a Second Language, Stefan Siridzanski and Helena Ivanov from Belgrade B in Opening Opposition won the debate with the motion „This house would, assuming it was technically feasible, remove the ability of soldiers to feel fear.” In the Open final, Adam Hawksbee and Matthew Willmore from Sheffield A in Closing Opposition were able to beat their competitors in a debate with the motion „This house believes that the feminist movement should oppose military interventions that claim to further women's rights.” [caption id="attachment_24372" align="alignright" width="240"] Venue of the Open and ESL ...

The break to the finals at the European Universities Debating Championship 2014 has been announced. In the ESL category, Berlin A, Lund A, Belgrade B and BBU A made it through the semi-finals with the motion "This house believes that leaders of minority religions in Europe should strongly encourage their congregations to refrain from public displays of their faith". In the Open break, Oxford A, Sheffield A, Nottingham A, and Edinburgh A won the semi-finals with the motion "THBT the US should invade and forceably partition Iraq". Semi-finals of the Zagreb EUDC In the Open semi-final 1, the following teams competed: OG: Edinburgh A OO: ...

The break of the European Universities Debating Championship 2014 in Zagreb has been announced. The following teams will compete in the out-rounds on the 22nd of August (data might be inaccurate): Open Break 23: Cambridge C 22: Oxford B 21: Cambridge B 21: Oxford A 21: GUU A 20: Cambridge A 20: Oxford C 19: Edinburgh A 19: LSE A 19: Sheffield A 19: Durham B 19: KCL A 19: Hebrew A 19: Nottingham A 19: Durham C 18: BPP A ESL Break 19: Hebrew A 18; Belgrade B 18: Lund A 18: Tartu A 18: Berlin A 17: Tel Aviv B 17: Leiden A 17: Bucharest A 17: BBU A 17: Tilbury House A 17: Mannheim A 17: ELTE A 17 BGU A 16: Belgrade A 16: Tel Aviv A 16: tie of ...

Auch der zweite Vorrundentag der European Universities Debating Championships (EUDC) 2014 sorgte für Kontroversen in der Debattiercommunity. Nikos Bosse, EUDC-Korrespondent der Achten Minute, berichtet über die Ereignisse im Equity Forum und die weitergeführten Diskussionen über die Pronoun Introductions und fasst die Ergebnisse der Teams aus dem VDCH-Land nach dem zweiten Vorrundentag zusammen. Equity-Forum [caption id="attachment_24344" align="alignright" width="330"] Teilnehmer der Zagreb EUDC 2014 (c) Zagreb Foto Team[/caption] Wie die Achte Minute bereits berichtete, kam es zu Beginn der Euros am Montag, dem 18.08., beim Speaker Briefing zu Meinungsverschiedenheiten zwischen dem Chefjurorenteam und dem Equity-Team über die Einführung von Pronoun Introductions. Während die Chefjuroren die ...

Bereits der erste Tag der European Universities Debating Championships (EUDC) 2014 sorgte für Spannung: Neben der Eröffnungsfeier boten Differenzen zwischen den Chefjuroren und dem Equity Team reichlich Gesprächsstoff. Nikos Bosse, EUDC-Korrespondent der Achten Minute, fasst die wichtigsten Ereignisse des ersten Tages sowie die Ergebnisse der Teams aus dem VDCH-Land zusammen. Heitere Eröffnungsfeier Die Eröffnungsfeier der Euros 2014 fand bei sommerlich-lauen Temperaturen im Museum für Zeitgenössische Kunst in Zagreb statt. Neben einigen Freigetränken konnten die Teilnehmer die Ausstellungen des Museums genießen, über eine Rutsche gelangten sie anschließend vom zweiten und dritten Stock direkt zur Terrasse. Dort begleiteten Bands den ersten Abend des Turniers ...

Update: The Hashtag that will be used for Twitter from the 19th August on is #EUDC14 This Monday, the 18th of August, the European Universities Debating Championship (EUDC) 2014 starts in Zagreb, Croatia. For the next six days, 216 teams from 33 countries will compete in nine preliminary rounds, quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final for the title of European Debate Champion in the Open Break and in the category English as a Second Language (ESL). A list of all VDCH* teams will follow shortly. Nikos Bosse will be responsible for covering all news around the Zagreb EUDC for Achte Minute. Regular updates ...

At the European Universities Debating Championship (EUDC) in Zagreb, the EUDC council will meet to decide who will host the EUDC in 2016. A couple of weeks ago, the University of Cork announced their bid for the EUDC 2016. Now there is a second bid: The University of Warsaw Debate Society has joined the ranks of the applicants to host the prestigious tournament. Marcus Ewald, former President of the EUDC council, asked both bidding societies to provide information to enable debaters to compare the bids. The full information gathered is compiled in a Google Doc. As a caveat, Marcus notes that ...

On the 18th and 19th of October, the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) Debating Society at the University of London will hold their annual SOAS IV in London, England. The first Chief Adjudicator (CA) who has already been announced is Andrew Ford. Remaining CAs are yet to be announced. Equity officer will be Leah Wright. The tournament features five preliminary rounds with seven minute speeches, a break to quarter-finals as well as a break to semi-finals for teams in the category English as a Second Language (ESL), provided there are enough ESL teams for an ESL semi-final. From the 25th ...

The Roosevelt Debating Society will host the third Roosevelt Open on October 17th and 18th in Middleburg in the South-West of the Netherlands. The conveners will be Sarah Rust and Jordy van Rijsingen. According to the information on the Roosevelt Open facebook page, the tournament is supported by the European Commission, Province of Zeeland and the municipality of Goes. This promotion video has been published by the conveners: The Roosevelt Open will feature five preliminary rounds with seven minute speeches, semi-finals, a final as well as a novice final. The team cap is 40 and the n-1 rule will apply for ...

On Sunday November 23rd 2014, the first Cambridge Women’s Open will take place right after the Cambridge IV 2014 on the weekend before. It is a one day tournament featuring four rounds with seven minute speeches, semi-finals, and a final as well as a Novice final. During lunchtime, there will be open discussions on women in debating. Chief Adjudicators Chief Adjudicators (CAs) will be Emilia Carlqvist, winner of the European Universities Debating Championship (EUDC) 2013 in Manchester in the category English as a Second Language (ESL) and Deputy Chief Adjudicator of the Vienna EUDC 2015, and Srishti Krishnamoorthy, breaking judge and speaker ...

The Cambridge IV 2014 will take place on the 21st and 22nd November in Cambridge, England. The tournament features five preliminary rounds with seven minute speeches, quarter finals, semi finals, and a final, as well as semi finals and a final for teams in the category English as a Second Language (ESL). It will start at 3 o'clock on Friday with team registration and will end with a Black Tie Social on Saturday night. On Sunday, the first Cambridge Women's Open 2014 will take place. Chief Adjudicators (CAs) of the tournament will be Madeline Schultz, Deputy Chief Adjudicator (DCA) of the World Universities ...