Which Program Should I Choose?

We offer instruction in Policy Debate, Public Speaking and Argumentation and Congressional Debate.

The Public Speaking and Argumentation Program is intended for students with little to no experience with competitive debate who want to learn the foundational skills of public speaking and debate. Most of the students in the class are rising 9th and 10th graders, though some older students find the program helpful as well.

The Congressional Debate program is intended for students interested in competing in Congressional Debate at high school tournaments.  Students do not need to have experience with Congressional Debate to sign up for the course, as we do teach beginners as well as students who have been participating competitively already.

We offer several different programs for students interested in Policy Debate.

All of the programs are intended to prepare students for competition in Policy Debate at high school tournaments.  Students do not need to have experience with Policy Debate to sign up for the course, as we do teach beginners as well as students who have been participating competitively already.

Here are the distinctions between the programs:

–GDDI – the Georgetown-Dartmouth Debate Institute Fellows: this program is intended for experienced policy debaters and is run in conjunction with the Dartmouth Debate Institute.  This program has a highly competitive admissions process.

–HSS – The Hoya Sophomore Scholars Program: this program is intended for serious experienced young debaters.  It is an intense five-week program for young, experienced debaters looking to be successful at top state and national circuit tournaments.

–Georgetown Policy Debate Seminar

The three-week program is our main program. There are three major tracks:

·      Novice – for students who are new to policy debate.

·      2nd Year – for students who have had one-year of experience with policy debate.

·      Advanced – for students who have mastered the basics and are looking to develop and sharpen competitive skills.

The two-week program is primarily intended for local students who are unable to attend for three weeks.  It is designed specifically for students who participate on the UDL circuit.

Feel free to send an email to georgetowndebateseminar@gmail.com if you have questions about which program to choose for your child.