The debate is a component of the project (individual or grouup) in your CA,
which has the CA percentage of 25%. Students who do not want to engage themselves in the
mainstream project for this module, may want to form themselves into debating
teams. However, only eight students can sign up for this segment of the CA.
Other students will be involved in the project.
Debate
topic: More attention should be paid to linguistics and discourse
analysis in the study of cinema vs. less attention should be paid to linguistics
and discourse analysis in the study of cinema.
Notice that
I have refrained from using the word 'motion' frequently found in debating parlance above,
but used the word 'topic' instead. This is because the binary bifurcation of the
debating motion into 'for' and 'against' may imply that the motion is the norm, whereas those who are against it are going against the norm.
I think using the word 'topic' has a more neutral flavour and gives both sides
an equal footing at the onset. Also, the disjunction of a set of viewpoints into
what is 'correct' or 'true' as against its opposite, is not a beneficial stand
to take in serious academic debates, which should try to see the good points on
both sides, and build a more composite picture of a particular academic concern.
Instead of artificially looking for clearly demarcated viewpoints where none
exists, I hope the format of the debate and its topic will encourage you to
adopt more complex and balanced viewpoints.
The teams
Only two teams are needed for the debate.
Each debating team should consist of four members, one of whom is the
chief researcher and reserve debater. Considering the nature of this exercise, this number is not
variable.
The names of the team members should be given to me once the team is
formed. Please deposit the name lists in the IVLE.
Preparing for the debate
The division of labour for the debating team – eg. doing some relevant
research, in addition to what is done by the chief researcher – is something that you
should decide initially. This is an arrangement between members of the team.
You need not convey the details to me beforehand.
The debating team should prepare a cogent and consistent stance. There
may be some diversity of opinions expressed by team members, but it should
not be at the expense of the cogency and consistency of the team's debating
stance.
Teams, timing & scheduling
Three members will be actually involved in the debate. As indicated earlier, the
fourth member does much of the research, and is a reserve.
Each member is given four minutes, and no more.
The teams will present in the following order: A→B→A→B→A→B
Which team comes first will be determined by the toss of a coin.
After the second members of both teams have spoken, the debate will be
open to the floor for discussion for ten minutes.
The debate will be open to the floor again at the end. The duration of
the final floor discussion is fifteen minutes.
The following is the tabulated scheduling and total time taken for the
debate:
Persons involved
Total time for both teams or for the floor
1st 2 debaters of each team:
Floor discussion and questions:
Final debater of each team:
Final floor discussion and questions:
16 minutes
10 minutes
8 minutes
15 minutes
Overall total time
49 minutes
(49 minutes
is the 'strict' time span. Do expect the whole session to last
slightly longer than an hour)
Debating content
The purpose of the debate and the supported stance must be clearly and systematically presented.
The debating team should be more negatively judged if:
The goal and their debating stance are not made clear, or
The debating arguments seem to meander from point to point ,
without a clear sense of direction, or
Generalised statements or observations are
put forward without substantiation.
There must be a smooth progression of the ideas, observations or
arguments presented by each team.
Critical thinking should be evident in the arguments presented by each
team.
Interactions
In a debate, interactivity is usually more challenging than in a project
presentation:
Each team must be able to politely and respectfully rebut the arguments of
the opposing team.
The teams must also be able to respond to the questions or arguments
from the floor.
Manner & quality of presentation
The module debate is not judged solely on its content. Among questions
that will be asked on the manner and quality of the debate are the
following:
How was the delivery? (eg. voice quality, audibility, movements,
gestures, attempt at eye-contact, etc.)
How was the group dynamics like (eg. coordination and cooperation
between members of the team)?
Overall, did the debating team present an interesting case? Or was it
boring?
Peer feedback
After the debating session has ended, there will be a short
peer feedback session, when
students will be asked about the content and quality of each team's debating
performance.
A question will also be asked on who wins the debate. This question
however, is less important than the other questions asked for the debating
peer feedback.
After the debate, there will be a project presentation on the same
topic. Both content and peer feedback on the difference between the two
modes of academic delivery and how the students have comparatively performed
will be sought.