British Parliamentary Debate DeCal
The Debate Society of Berkeley is intended to be a club that provides students with opportunities to develop their argumentative skills competitively - through tournaments and intercollegiate scrimmages. However, we understand that many students seek to develop their public speaking and rhetorical abilities without a focus on the competitive aspect.
The British Parlimentary Debate DeCal was created for students to learn a variety of critical thinking and impromptu speech skills, and to practice them amongst their peers. The course provides insight into the British Parliamentary debate format, as well as relevant topic areas. Upon completion of the course, students have the ability to stand their ground in a collegiate-level debate round, and are better prepared for interviews, presentations, and the like.
While all new members of the Debate Society of Berkeley must take the DeCal, the DeCal is open to all interested Berkeley students, regardless of club membership status. There is a short preliminary survey to provide some background information about yourself so that the course facilitators can tailor the course to each semester's students. All students are admitted into the DeCal so long as they express an interest in learning.
More information about the DeCal can be accessed here. Questions can be directed to Justin Zhou, this semester's lead facilitator.