Dialogue Is there Honor in Debate?: An Exploration of Competitive Debate Programs Being Housed Inside Honors Colleges

Rob Glass, Director of Debate, University of Houston Honors College

Collegiate Policy Debate is the longest running form of organized debate activity in the United States. One of the ongoing organizing questions in debate is a structural one: where do debate programs belong inside the University apparatus? Historically, this has been answered in many ways but most traditionally understood as communications departments. However, in recent years, many programs have moved into other departments including Honors Colleges. This workshop seeks to explore this phenomenon, see if there are ways to beter synergize Debate’s mission with the Honors College movement, especially regarding the ecumenical stances of Honors Colleges and their academic and competitive ambitions, and how this can be adopted. It also seeks to understand the potential pitfalls of being housed inside Honors Colleges, including but not limited to a lack of core curricular focus, the lack of graduate assistantships, and the shifting nature of academic focus. Finally, this workshop seeks to explore if there are ways to expand debate into other Honors Colleges and how that might be achieved.