William Pitt Debating Union to host an international public debate with the British National Debating Team
UPDATE:View the debate online here
Pitt's Department of Communication will host an international public debate between the William Pitt Debating Union (WPDU) and the British National Debating Team, Thursday October 9 from 4:00pm to 5:00 pm in Pitt's English Nationality Room, 144 Cathedral of Learning.
Pitt Communication doctoral students John Jasso and Joe Sery will debate the motion, “This House Supports the Unlimited Development of Offshore Oil Drilling,” with visiting British national champion debaters Ed James and Derek Doyle.
Ed James won the Gloucestershire NHS Debating Cup, before becoming President of the debating union at Edinburgh University. James has also participated in the promotion of debate pedagogy in other parts of the world, serving as debate coach for a school in South Africa.
Derek Doyle is a world class competitive debater from the University College Cork (UCC), where he also participated in a series of public debates for the UCC Philosophical Society. He has just graduated from that institution with degrees in Sociology and Philosophy.
John Jasso and Joe Sery both study the intersection of philosophy and communication, particularly as it applies to religious rhetoric and freedom of speech jurisprudence. The debate will be moderated by Brent Saindon, doctoral candidate in communication and graduate debate assistant for the public debate division of the WPDU.
The WPDU is a Pitt student organization involved in a wide range of debating activities, including two-person intercollegiate policy debate, international parliamentary debate, and various forms of public debate. One of the oldest organizations of its kind in the nation, WPDU is housed in Pitt's communication department.
Pittsburgh is the second stop on the British National Debate Team's four-month tour of the United States. The American Forensic Association and National Communication Association sponsor the British tour.
Audience questions and good-natured heckling are encouraged for Thursday’s debate, which is free and open to the public. For more information, call 412-624-2887.