Stanford Invitational Tournament

Thanks for joining us this summer!  Please return to see the dates of our 2022 programs which we anticipate to be available by late 2021.

Parliamentary Debate

At SNFI we believe that there isn't a single "correct" way to do parliamentary debate, but rather that in order to succeed at the national level in both high school and college, parliamentary debaters need a well-rounded set of skills and the ability to borrow from numerous regional styles.  That belief is embodied in the staff we've assembled--at SNFI you'll work with some of the best minds in each parliamentary format!
 
If you want an opportunity to learn all manners of arguments and debating cultures, parliamentary debate is the format for you! Parliamentary is the most popular form of debate in the world and the most popular form of collegiate debate in the United States.  It is a format that is accessible to students of all different background and perspectives, and, since the topic changes every single round, emphasizes knowledge and research in a breadth of issues.

The camp is rigorously structured in such a way that emphasizes both theory and practice, with classroom lessons running from morning to night, and exemplary instruction offered throughout. In the context of only a week-long camp, there will be an extraordinary fifteen (15) practice rounds evaluated by professional critics who are college competitors and coaches; the fifteen rounds comprise roughly one-third of the total time spent at camp. The rest of the time is spent learning communication theory from professionals and academics, practicing strong research methods, and utilizing small-group exercises to enhance the students’ understanding of the techniques taught. The fundamental premise is that through a combination of theory and practice, the students will not only understand how to write speeches with strong argumentative rigor, but also how to present them in an effective manner to their colleagues and critics.

Parliamentary debate is the most popular form of debate in the world, and it’s only growing. By emphasizing a liberal education approach to debate, where breadth of knowledge is placed at a premium, it is enjoyable to students of all different backgrounds and approaches. At SNFI, we take a student’s passion for debate and argumentation, and use it in order to teach them life skills such as effective presentation, critical thinking skills, and research in an academic setting.

Parliamentary debate offers high school students a unique opportunity to master a broad range of valuable skills – critical thinking, persuasive public speaking & knowledge of world affairs – that will help them succeed in the classroom & in the “real world” of business, government and community.


The fact that mastering these skills also translates into a high level of competitive success at the high school level is what makes parliamentary debate so rewarding to coach.

My goal in structuring this year’s SNFI Parliamentary Debate program is to make sure every student walks away with a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of persuasion, a variety of useful frameworks for debating questions of policy/value/fact, a toolbox full of proven tactics for first & second speakers, and a big-picture context for evaluating world affairs.

Since the norms of parliamentary debate vary from judge-to-judge & region-to-region, our goal is to broaden the tools & strategies that our students can use to succeed in any situation.  Rather than teach a one-size-fits-all method to parliamentary debate, the broad skills of our instructors and a newly expanded lecture/practice format is designed to give you the opportunity to drill down in areas of interest while maximizing your exposure to new perspectives and winning ideas.

 


2024 Parliamentary Debate Staff Members Include:

Check back closer to the start of camp for details on our 2024 staff

We will continue to add additional staff members as enrollment and availability dictate. Details are posted on additional staff members as they are confirmed and as we have complete biographic information available. Staff listing may not be fully up to date or reflect all hires to date.


2023 Parliamentary Debate Staff Members Included:


Upcoming Camps

1-Week Parliamentary Debate Program

The Stanford Parliamentary Debate program returns this summer, bringing the same professionalism to parliamentary debate that SNFI has brought to policy debate and Lincoln-Douglas debate for the past 26 years. Serious student of parliamentary debate wanting to take their activity to the next level are encouraged to attend, as are those just beginning in this style of argumentation. A special Advanced section is planned for this summer. Small group activities ensure that students of all ...

2-Week Advanced Parliamentary Program

The 2-Week Advanced Parliamentary Program provides an opportunity for students who have previously attended an SNFI Parliamentary camp to join into the second week of the 3-Week Parliamentary Program.  Students in this program will skip over the first week's introductory base materials and will pick up directly with the advanced seminar curriculum and in depth practice debates geared for more advanced and serious Parliamentary debaters.  This program is offered based on th...

2-Week Core Parliamentary Program

Our two week Parliamentary program will provide students with the opportunity to participate in more practice debates and attend more lectures with our faculty on theoretical and practical issues that are critical to success in Parliamentary debate.

Please view our one week Parliamentary program for more details of what a student will experience during the SNFI Parliamentary program.

Parliamentary debate offers high school students a unique opportunity to master a ...

2-Week Parliamentary Program

Our two week Parliamentary program will provide students with the opportunity to participate in more practice debates and attend more lectures with our faculty on theoretical and practical issues that are critical to success in Parliamentary debate.

Please view our one week Parliamentary program for more details of what a student will experience during the SNFI Parliamentary program.

Parliamentary debate offers high school students a unique opportunity to master a ...

3-Week Parliamentary Experience

Our three week Parliamentary program will provide students with maximum opportunity to participate in practice debates and attend more lectures with our faculty on theoretical and practical issues that are critical to success in Parliamentary debate, touching on an incredibly wide and diverse range of topic area seminars and lectures.

Please view our one- and two-week Parliamentary program for more details of what a student will experience during the SNFI Parliamentary progra...

Parliamentary Intensive Practice Round Session

The idea behind the Parliamentary Three Week program is simple in concept, profound in effect. Debaters improve most by debating - especially when challenged by an experienced critic in a stop-and-go format, after which students redo rebuttals and receive extensive feedback. The Three Week Program is fully integrated with the Two Week program, but adds an additional week which focuses primarily on technique, practice rounds, and small group work sessions. The Three Week Program engages ...

Worlds Schools Parliamentary

This camp will focus on the Worlds Schools style of Parliamentary debate and serves as a breakout from the standard Parliamentary debate camp.  Some core materials will be jointly shared with the concurrent Parliamentary session(s) while other portions of the camp will be a separate and specific track for the Worlds Schools format.