Summer Institute Schedule & Curriculum

Tentative Curricula

All students will learn foundational debate skills and be introduced to the 2024-2025 topic. Advanced/experienced middle school students* will also learn the structure of a few more advanced debate arguments. Advanced/experienced high school students** will learn several additional types of arguments and potentially research skills for open evidence debate.

Foundational Skills

• Parts of an argument

• Responding to arguments

• Public speaking

• Asking and answering questions

• Being Affirmative / Affirmative case structure

• Being Negative / Disadvantage structure

• Impact comparison

• Judge and audience adaptation

• Choosing arguments strategically

• Evidence comparison

• Introduction to 2024-2025 topic

Advanced Skills (Middle & High School)

• Counterplan structure

• Answering counterplans

• Kritik structure

• Answering Kritiks

• Research literacy skills

Advanced Skills (High School Open only)

• Topicality

• Theory

• Research and evidence production

• Paperless debate

*Advanced/experienced middle school students are students who have experience debating at AUDL middle school tournaments for at least one season

**Advanced/experienced high school students are students who have experience debating for multiple years at AUDL middle school tournaments or at least one season of debating at AUDL high school tournaments. All experienced high school debaters will learn advanced/JV skills. HS Open skills may also be taught depending on registrations.

Tentative Schedule

8:30-9:00 a.m. - Drop-Off

9:00-9:55 a.m. - Large Group

10:00-12:00 p.m. - Lab Groups*

12:00-12:30 p.m. - Lunch                               

12:30-2:30 p.m. - Lab Groups & Rotation Circuits

2:30-2:45 p.m. - Pick-Up

*Lab groups are encouraged to take breaks at the instructors’ discretion