Informal debate Guidelines and info

What is it? Next week (Tues., 12/8 & Wed., 12/9) we will be having class debates. I will split you into teams of 4 or 5, and each group will be in charge of preparing a side of the debate to present next week. You must look up some outside information to support your position. Each person in the group must speak at least once.

How will it work? The teams will take turns presenting their arguments in this format: Team 1: Intro Team 2: Intro Team 1: Argument Team 2: Argument Team 1: Rebuttle Team 2: Rebuttle Team 1: Conclusion Team 2: Conclusion

Materials to prepare: Each team must type up a general script/outline of their arguments. Each team must have prepared one page of hypothetical counterarguments. Each team must take notes during the other team’s presentation, so as to prepare rebuttle. Each team must provide two articles used to support their perspective. You will assign one member of your group to each task. Each team member must speak at least once during the presentation, and may use notecards to speak.

grading This will count as 2 quiz grades. One quiz grade will be an “individual” grade, and the other will be a “group” grade. The individual grade will evaluate your speaking performance of your material and your individual notecards. The group grade will evaluate your team’s preparedness, your team’s “materials,” and your overall performance as a group.

Topic From the New York Times Room for Debate: A Times article recently debated whether young people are more narcissistic than previous generations, mentioning Facebook as a possible factor. And a University of Michigan study, published in June, seems to support this theory. Are social media like Facebook (Twitter, Instagram, etc.) turning us into narcissists?