LUU Debating Society

Thursday 31st January: Political philosophy and ethics for dummies

Committee — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 14:04:00 +0000

Hello everyone.

Thank you to everyone who turned up on Thursday, it was nice to see some old
faces and even better to meet some new ones. I heard the Give It A Go was a
great success, and I welcome all the new members to the society and its mailing
list!!

This Thursday (31st Feb) the society will meet in the usual time at the usual
place- 8pm on the Parkinson Steps. Adam and I will be treating to the first
“Dummy Session”, looking at the basic principles of ethics and political
philosophy to help you with the all important content element of your speeches.

The Debating Society’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on the 21st of
Feb. The main focus of the meeting is the handing over of committee positions.
If you would like to stand for a position on the committee, you need to send a
brief e-mail to the society account, (I know I mentioned the word manifesto on
Thursday, but please don’t be scared by this- it need only be a paragraph or
so). The positions ‘up for grabs’ are President, Vice- President, Secretary,
Treasurer, IV Convenor and the deadline is Monday 18th Feb. If you would like
to know about what being on the committee entails, feel free to ask any of the
current position holders on Thursday.

Zaynab, our IV Convenor, has organised a massive and amazing competition which
will run at Leeds Uni on the 15th and 16th of Feb, (N.B. to prevent a debating
overload and accommodate all you love-birds there will be no society meeting on
the 14th). This promises to be an outstanding event, the first in Leeds for
years, with a number of excellent teams and phenomenal judges (Neill
Harvey-Smith is a debating god) taking part and some boozy socials. To make the
event successful, we need your help- so make sure you are around that weekend;
Zaynab will give more details about how you can get involved in the next few
weeks. You can also have a look at the Facebook group if you are that
excited!!!

Finally, another date for your diary is a joint event we are holding with the
people behind the library (not the pub- unfortunately). On the 26th of Feb we
will be holding a show debate as part of Leeds Read week, with the motion “THW
only include British authors in the National Curriculum to foster a sense of
national identity.” More importantly, there will be pancakes. Come along and
support the committee members in their ‘farewell gig’ if you can, more details
about time and location to come.

Sorry for the long e-mail, well done if you made it to the end. I hope you all
have a great week, and I will look forward to seeing you all on Thursday.

Helen (VP)

Missed Debating over Christmas? & Give it A Go

Committee — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 20:39:18 +0000

HELLO!

I hope you had a lovely Christmas and New Year and that exams and essays weren’t too stressful. This Thursday 24th January the LUU Debating Society will be holding a Give it a Go session, so if you missed out last term or you have any friends who might be interested make sure you attend this event!

For just £2 you will be given a master class on how to debate and an opportunity to have a go yourself.

There are loads of opportunities this term to debate in Leeds and at other universities. It’s also a great way to improve your confidence for presentations, structure you arguments and learn about a whole range of issues.

We debate everything from bestiality to the environment to nuclear weapons!

So be there from 8-10pm on Thursday. We meet on the Parkinson Steps and the session will take place in the basement of the Parkinson Building in Room B09. A normal session for all of our regular members will also take place at the same time but in a different room.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Best wishes,
Felicity Dennistoun
President, LUU Debating Society

Christmas debate & Next term’s plan

Committee — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 23:00:33 +0000

Hello All!

Just to remind you we are holding the last debating session of the year tomorrow (Thursday - 8pm, usual place). Being the last debate before CHRISTMAS we shall be having an exciting and fun Christmas motion for all to enjoy!

Now that you have all developed a good understanding for the roles on the table, the general rules and judging criteria, NEXT TERM we shall be concentrating on CONTENT… This will involve some teaching sessions run by particular people who are masters in certain debating fields - be that ethical, political, philosophical etc… motions.

Next term / semester we will also be holding an international debating competition – THE LEEDS I.V. - with debaters from all over the country and even abroad - this is the first year we will be running such a big event in many years. It is being run by the committee, but chiefly organised by Zaynab, so if any of you want to get involved and help out on the day(s) let Zaynab know - it would be greatly appreciated!

If any of you are not on the mailing list and have not recieved the Debating HANDOUT Special (6pgs - v. useful) and would like a copy, email unidebat@leeds.ac.uk and I will forward you a copy. It is very useful as a refresher for periods of debating drought e.g. over Christmas! Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow!

Idunn

(Secretary)

Argument, Analysis and Structure…

Committee — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 19:45:11 +0000

Argument, Analysis and Structure…

… are the three keys to a brilliant speech. This week in training we will explain how to develop these skills.

Same time and place. Thursday, Parkinson Steps, 8pm. The training will be held upstairs in Room 108.

Don’t forget to tell Helen if you want enter the Internal Competition to be held on Sunday 11th November. You don’t have to enter as a team, we will pair you up with someone if you don’t have a partner. It’s always a brilliant day and a great opportunity to have a go at competitive debating without the intimidation of going to another university.

Look forward to seeing you on Thursday.

Best wishes,
Felicity Dennistoun
President
LUU Debating

Different kinds of motions and how to approach them

Committee — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 21:37:31 +0000

Hi everyone,

I hope you all enjoyed last week’s public debate. This week it’s your turn again…

During training we will be discussing the different kinds of motions and how to deal with them effectively in the context of a debate. It’s really important that you have a good understanding of this wherever you are on the table, whether you’re First Speaker for the First Proposition or First Speaker for the Second Opposition.

It’s the same time as usual, 8pm, Parkinson Steps and the training session will be upstairs in Room 108.

Also, we will be running a selection room so anyone interested in going to the IVs in Newcastle or Durham please let us know. They take place over the weekend 3rd-4th November and you can do either or both. They are brilliant competitions and if you are a Fresher we will pay your registration fees!

Look forward to seeing you there.
Best wishes,
Felicity Dennistoun
President
LUU Debating Society

Public Debate: THW accept evidence gained through torture

Committee — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 09:54:03 +0000

Hi everyone,

This week we are holding a public debate - everyone is
welcome, it doesn’t matter if you’re a member or not, so bring you’re housemates, coursemates, best friend etc.

The motion will be:

THIS HOUSE WOULD ACCEPT EVIDENCE GAINED THROUGH TORTURE

Did you know that this was briefly legal in 2004?

In extreme circumstances is it acceptable to violate a person’s human rights for
the benefit of the greater good?

As long as the torture isn’t perpetrated by British nationals is it acceptable
to use evidense gained through inhuman methods?

This is a great opportunity to become informed on one of the most important issues the legal system has been faced with as a result of the “war on terror” and to improve your understanding of the role of each debater on the table.

Hear all the arguments this Thursday 18th October 8pm Parkinson Steps. The
debate will be upstairs in Room 108.

Look forward to seeing you there.

Felicity Dennistoun
President
LUU Debating Society

Welcome to the LUU Debating Society!

Committee — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 15:09:43 +0000

1st training session and debate. Thursday 4th October - 8pm Parkinson Steps.

It was great to see so many of you last week, I hope you enjoyed the lively debate!

In our first training session we will explain how a University debate works and the role of each position on the table. Afterwards we will have a debate and you will get a chance to put what you have learnt into practice. We promise a fun motion that will keep you talking all the way to the union for a drink!

Those of you who are members, don’t forget to bring your cards! If you missed the introductory meeting last week, don’t worry we are still signing up new members. It’s just £4 for a whole year’s membership.

Don’t forget to keep an eye on the events page for up and coming competitions and details of meetings. If there’s anything you want to discuss or debate with other members, why not start a thread on the forum?

We look forward to seeing you thursday!

Debating Soc Committee

Don’t worry if you missed the Freshers Fair, there’s still time to join the LUU Debating Society!

Committee — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 18:16:38 +0000

Our first meeting is on Thursday 27th September at 8pm on the Parkinson Steps

Your fantastic new committee will introduce itself and do a show debate. There will also be an opportunity to have a go at debating yourself.

Afterwards there will be a social at the Faversham and everyone gets a FREE drink.

Whatever degree discipline you’re from, whether you’ve done loads of debating or never been in an argument before we want to meet YOU.

Don’t miss the chance to build your confidence in public speaking, meet loads of new people, get a valuable addition to your C.V. and go to Germany, Estonia and Dublin!!!

To attend the first social costs just £2 and to become a full member is £4 for the whole year.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Best wishes,

Felicity Dennistoun
President
LUU Debating Society

Hoodies!

Committee — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 12:06:27 +0000

Hi Everyone,

I know it’s the end of the year but your fabulous committee (really our V.P. Helen deserves the credit) has made it possible for you to buy Debating Soc hoodies.

Just go to www.uni-kit.co.uk and click on the Leeds Union logo and then click on Debating Society on the drop-down menu. You can also click on the link on the front page of the website.

Have an amazing summer and remember to come and visit us on the Freshers’ stall in September if you want to renew your membership.

Best wishes,
Felicity Dennistoun
Debating Soc President

Is Jesus the son of God? Atheist Soc vs. CU, Thursday 7.15pm, RSLT 20

Committee — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 08:32:59 +0000

Hi everyone,

I hope you all had a great Easter and ate as much chocolate as I did!

We won’t be running any more debates this term because I know everyone is under a lot of pressure with exams and essays.

However this Thursday Debating Soc has teamed up with Atheist Society and Christian Union to debate whether Jesus is the son of God. Debating Society will chair the debate and watch Atheist Soc and CU battle it out on this contentious issue.

If you fancy coming along it starts at 7.15pm in Roger Stevens Lecture Theatre 20 on this Thursday 19th April and unlike our debates there will be a chance for members of the audience to ask the speakers questions.

Also, as part of Celebrate 2007 the union will be holding its annual glitzy award ceremony ‘The Riley’s’ on Friday 4th May in the Riley Smith Hall and they asking society members to nominate societies they feel deserve an award. The winners are picked by the Societies Executive body who will base their decisions on the things people write about the group they’re nominating. Having the most amounts of votes will not mean you win, it will be the reasons which people have for nominating which will have the most effect.

If you think you have particularly enjoyed Debating or any other society you have been involved in here is the link to the website:

http://www.luuonline.com/getinvolved/therileys.php

Nominations close Friday 27th April.

Good luck with all your work and I hope to see you on Thursday.

Best wishes,
Felicity Dennistoun,
Debating Soc President