Towson International Debate Institute
Towson University
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Towson University is located in the Baltimore metropolitan area, less than an hour from Washington D.C., and only a three hour train ride from New York City. As a comprehensive university, Towson offers more than forty major areas of study in arts and sciences, education, business, and law. Founded in 1866, Towson current enrollment is around 15,000.
The student faculty ratio at Towson University is 17:1 and faculty, not graduate students, teach the vast majority of courses. Towson University currently has over seven hundred international students from more than seventy countries.
Philosophy
TIDI provides an intensive learning environment for both experienced and new debaters. Unlike some camps that focus primarily on the research and preparation of arguments, TIDI also emphasizes building the skills and confidence that translate into success during the coming years. TIDI stu- dents take home more than just evidence.
Seminars
Topic Seminars: Researchers with extensive experi- ence in security and foreign policy issues identify key affirmative and negative arguments.
Theory Seminars: Veteran coaches introduce and explain the principles of argumentation, refutation, and other important debate practices.
Lab groups: Small classes (8 to 10 students) encourage one-on-one inter- action and instruction. Labs are lead by experienced coaches and feature research, speaking drills, and practice debates.
Tournament Competition: The Institute concludes with a competitive tournament that showcases the skills students acquire. The tournament features quality judging and awards for speakers and teams.
Logistics
Dates and times: TIDI begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 4:00 p.m. daily.
Accommodations: Lunch is provided each day. A limited number of spaces are available for resident students (those who want to stay in a su- pervised dormitory environment). Commuter students are responsible for transportation to and from the campus.
Location: Towson University is located in Towson, Maryland, just north of Baltimore. The university offers students a peaceful college setting and ac- cess to research facilities including many electronic databases.
Transportation: The Baltimore area is accessible easily by air, rail, and bus. Towson University is also conveniently located for driving. Resident students are not permitted to have cars. Baltimore Urban Debate League students are transported from a city high school near them to Towson’s campus every morning and returned at the end of the day. Other com- muter students are responsible for transportation to and from campus.
Fees: Tuition for high school commuter students is: $650. and $850. for resi- dents. Residents pay for eight days of sessions and nine nights of food and double-occupancy. There is no fee for participants in the SEEYLI program. Tuition is for the entire session and covers lunch, access to library re- sources, briefs written in labs, topic and theory handouts, photocopying, T- shirt and all instruction. Some scholarships are available.
Accommodations: Lunch is provided daily for all students. A wide range of meals are available, ranging from Kosher to vegetarian, to traditional student fair of pizza and subs. Healthy meal choices are also available, fresh fruit, and salads. A limited spaces are available for resident students in a supervised on-campus dormitory.
Location: TIDI meets on the campus of Towson University, in Towson, MD. Towson is just a few minutes north of Baltimore and approximately 50 miles from Washington, DC. Towson is a peaceful campus in a metro- politan area – classroom buildings are convenient and accessible. The Cook Library provides free computer access and electronic databases.
Staff: There is a staff/student ratio of 1/8 or better. In addition to faculty, there are administrators, debate assistants and assistant instructors. The Medical Center is open during all camp hours.
Sections
TIDI offers the following sections: High School Section; Middle School Section; International Section; Teachers and Debate Coaches Section; Public Debate Section.
High School Section
High school and college coaches familiar with argu- ments on the current high school topic and with ex- tensive camp experience will help students prepare for the upcoming season.
TIDI’s staff members specialize in researching and developing skills in competitive policy debate. The High School Track brings this experience to beginning and advancing high school debaters. This program fea- tures:
- Topic sessions: Daily group sessions are planned by staff experi- enced in researching issues relevant to the resolution. Expert guests provide specialized and professional knowledge. These ses- sions identify and explain key Affirmative and Negative argu- ments.
- Theory sessions: Daily group sessions cover theoretical aspects of debate strategy, starting with the principles of argumentation and refutation and moving on to current debate practices, including counterplans, critical arguments and other debate theory.
- Labs: Small groups of 8 to 10 meet daily for more in-depth topic dis- cussions, practice sessions and one-on-one instruction. Students work with staff to place themselves in Beginner or Experienced lab groups, all of which work on research, speaking skills, and debate technique.
- Tournament competition: The High School Track ends with a day- long tournament that allows students to put their research and skill development into practice. Students are judged by lab leaders, teachers and other quality judges. Students receive awards for top speakers and teams.
Teachers and Debate Coaches Section
The Baltimore Urban Debate League, as well as many other urban debate leagues and high school debate in general, is growing. Teachers are becoming debate coaches every day. TIDI’s Teacher Track addresses concerns for teachers becoming coaches and for current coaches to learn the latest in debate theory and get up to speed on the current high school topic. The track begins at 9 am and ends at 4 pm. This track features:
- Small group discussions: Teachers meet with successful debate coaches for practical and philosophical discussions about leadership, strategy and organization.
- Topic background: Teachers discuss the same topics as their stu- dents, enabling them to guide their students throughout the season. Like students, teachers focus on both general information about U.S. policy and specific arguments.
- Debate theory: Teachers learn debate techniques and how best to train students from professional coaches. Sessions focus on skills, drills and activities that appeal to beginning and experienced students.
- Team organization: TIDI staff members coach large and active teams – teachers learn how to build and maintain a program through recruitment, retention and development. Teachers also learn how tournaments are organized, and can participate in the High School Track tournament at the end of the institute.
- Administration: Teachers learn techniques for working with school administration and school systems to get the most for their students and team.
Past TIDI Faculty
Chris Baron, the Program Director of the Baltimore Urban Debate League and a debate coach at Tow- son University. He was a successful high school and college debater who represented the University of Kansas three times at the National Debate Tournament.
Brian Bittner is a graduate student in Rhetoric and an Assistant Debate Coach and Southern Illinois University. As a former Towson debate team president, Brian helped coordinate support for high school debate in Balti- more. Producer of the debate handbook “The Beast,” Brian is a skilled re- searcher.
Ken Broda-Bahm is an Associate Professor of Mass Communication and Communication Studies at Towson University. He has directed the Tow- son University Speech and Debate Team and is a widely published author on debate theory and practice.
Tom Durkin is a successful high school debate coach at Loyola Blakefield and president of the Baltimore Catholic Forensics League. Many of his for- mer students currently debate in college and serve as faculty at high school debate institutes.
Gordon Mitchell is a Professor of Communication and the Director of the William Pitt Debate Union at the University of Pittsburgh and organizer of the “National Debate-In” at Wake Forest University.
Maxwell Schnurer is a former award-winning debater and Director of Forensics at Marist University. He is also the Director of the Marist College Public Debate and Outreach Program.
Beth Skinner is a debate coach and Visiting Instructor at Towson Univer- sity. She represented the University of Kansas in NDT and CEDA competi- tion.
Sarah Snider is a former award-winning debater and Assistant Debate Coach at the University of Rochester. She is currently the Program Man- ager for Washington D.C.’s Urban Debate League.
Andreas Spiliadis a former debate coach at Forest Park High School in Baltimore. Forest Park’s teams are consistently known as the most success- ful and innovative in the BUDL, and several of his former students are cur- rently debating in college. He is now the public debate coordinator for BUDL.
Liisa Past is a political science major at Columbia University. She is a suc- cessful coach and debater from Estonia, and has taught at a number of in- ternational debate camps. Liisa has also coached highly competitive teams in the New York Urban Debate League.
Chad Henson is a debater at Towson University. After a very successful high school debate career in Lincoln Douglass debate in Texas, Chad joined the Towson team, where he has put his skills to good use. Chad has also coached for Loyola Blakefield and has worked with the Baltimore Urban Debate League.
Shawntia Diggs is a former Forest Park debater who is continuing her debate career at Towson University. Shawntia has debated on the air- waves of Baltimore, in front of members of City Hall, in front of the Balti- more school board, and in front of members of the US Congress.
Brent Hansford is a debater at Emory University. Brent and his partner, Brett Flater, are veteran TIDI staff. As debate partners, Brett and Brent have upheld Emory’s tradition of being one of the strongest debate teams in US history. Brett and Brent are also excellent coaches, and the high school teams in Atlanta have benefited from their expertise.
Asa Scott is one of the most successful debaters to come out of the New York Urban Debate League. Asa has also been a key player in Baltimore, coaching numerous teams, running the “BUDL hotline” and running monthly debate workshops, all the while sustaining a successful college debate career, winning a slew of speaker awards.
