“International Relations” with Ian Boyle-Harper

The next session this year in our Intermediate Workshop series will be hosted by Ian Boyle-Harper, an accomplished debater from the Literary & Historical Society of UCD.

Ian’s achievements include being Octo-Finalist at the World Universities Debating Championships and Semi-Finalist at the European Universities Debating Championships, as well as winning the Yale IV, the Hart House IV, and others. More recently, he was in the final of the Oxford IV.

The workshop will take place on Tuesday, the 25th of November, at 5pm in the Phil Conversation Room of the GMB. Ian will be presenting the session on International Relations and discussing the conflicts that shake our world.

The session will be quite informal and relaxed, and the Phil encourages anyone to just turn up. For more information, feel free to get in touch with the Debates Convenor, Jonathan, at dc@tcdphil.com.

“Social Theory” with Stephen Boyle

The Phil is pleased to announce the next session in our Intermediate series of debating workshops.

It will be hosted by Stephen Boyle of the Literary and Historical Society in UCD. Among his many accomplishments, Stephen has broken at the World Championships, reached the Semi-Finals of the European Championships, and was recently crowned best speaker at the Cork IV.

The workshop will take place at 5pm on Tuesday, the 4th of November in the Resource Room of the GMB. Stephen will be presenting arguments relating to social rights and policy. It should be a fascinating session for freshers and experienced debaters alike!

“Logic and Argument Formation” by Luke Ryder

Click here for the document entitled “Logic and Argument Formation” by Luke Ryder, former Registrar of the University Philosophical Society. Click here for an explanation of “The Four P’s: Problem, Policy, Principle, Practice”.

“Debater’s Guide to Economics” by Jonathan Wyse

Click here for the handout from today’s “Debater’s Guide to Economics” workshop presented by Jonathan Wyse, Debates Convenor of the Univeristy Philosophical Society.

“Debater’s Guide to Economics” with Jonathan Wyse

The Phil is pleased to announce the next session in our Intemediate Workshop series. It will take place on Friday, the 24th of October at 3pm in the Resource Room of the GMB.

The session will be hosted by Jonathan Wyse, Debates Convenor of the University Philosophical Society. Jonathan’s has most notably broken to the Quarter-Finals of the recent European Universities Debating Championship held in Tallinn, Estonia. His other achievements include Semi-Finalist of the L&H VPC, Semi-Finalist of the Irish Times and Semi-Finalist of the DCU Open.

Jonathan will be giving an introductory talk on Economics. The explanation of various concepts will lead to the application of economic theory in a wide variety of contexts for debaters. It hopes to be an interesting session for experienced debaters and freshers alike.

The session will be quite informal and relaxed, and the Phil encourages anyone to just turn up. The workshop is open to all members. For more information, contact Jonathan at dc@tcdphil.com.

Advanced Workshop with Will Jones

The Phil is delighted to announce the first in our series of Advanced Workshops and training sessions aimed at the teams that we will be sending to the World Universities Debating Championship 2009, to be held in University College Cork over the holidays. It will take place on Tuesday, the 21st of October at 3pm in the Resource Room of the GMB.

The workshop will be given by Will Jones of the Oxford Union. One of the most accomplished debaters in the world, Will is the reigning European Champion and a former Finalist at the World Universities Debating Championship. He is also the prospective Chief Adjudicator for the European Universities Debating Championship 2010 bid from Yeditepe University in Istanbul, and has countless other accolades to his name.

The workshop is open to any members of the Phil interested in coming along. Will is delivering the talk on the topic of maximising performance at Worlds, after which there will be a debate. It promises to be an extremely interesting session. For more information, contact Jonathan, the Debates Convenor, at dc@tcdphil.com.

Worlds – Judge Selection

The Phil is pleased to announced the procedure for the selection of judges to represent the society at the upcoming World Universities Debating Championships, taking place in University College Cork over the Christmas holidays. It is open to all members of the society, subject to certain terms of eligibility.

Prospective candidates should present their judging resumé to Jonathan, the Debates Convenor, before the evening of Wednesday, the 15th of October. It should include any achievements speaking, and experience adjudicating debates. The candidates shall be analysed by an external, experienced debater. The process shall be entirely anonymous.

If you’re interested in putting your name forward, get in touch with the Debates Convenor, Jonathan, by e-mail at dc@tcdphil.com or drop into the GMB. Click here for the details of eligibility and the conditions of accepting the place. It should be noted that candidates who are only interested in adjudicating at Oxford can be accommodated.

Worlds Trials – Results

The Phil is pleased to announce the results from the Worlds Trials which took place on Saturday, the 11th of October. The teams which will be representing the society at the World Universities Debating Championships 2009 will be: 

TCD Phil A – Jonathan Wyse & Brian O’Beirne

TCD Phil B – Dave McGuire & Barry Devlin

TCD Phil C – Ruth Faller & Kiera Healy

The first two teams will also be sent to Oxford, along with a fresher team which has yet to be decided. They will all be sent intact to Cork. Congratulations to them and hard luck to everyone else who took part, but rest assured that the experience will stand to you in the future.

Freshers’ Debating Workshops

The Phil would like to let everyone know that the Freshers’ Workshops will now be taking place every Thursday at 2pm in the Phil Conversation Room of the GMB. These sessions should be really useful to anyone new to college debating. The Phil encourages anyone who thinks they might be interested to come along and take part. No previous experience necessary.

You should also have a read of the Phil’s Simple Guide to Debating. It contains lots of helpful advice on public speaking in general and debating in college. The Phil also advises everyone to enter the Maidens competition, either by signing up on the notice boards of the GMB, or contacting the Vice President, Declan, at vp@tcdphil.com.

Worlds Trials – Team Selection

The Phil will be holding open Worlds Trials for all members to represent the society at the upcoming World Universities Debating Championships 2009 to be held in University College Cork, taking place over the Christmas holidays. The trials will commence on Saturday, the 11th of October at 10am in the rooms of the Graduates’ Memorial Building. There will be four rounds of debating, and the top three teams eligible to represent the Phil will be selected.

Click here for the document detailing the terms of eligibility, and the requirements of teams chosen to represent the Phil at Worlds. Most notably, they will be expected to attend various training sessions held during Michaelmas term, and represent the society at various competitions such as the Oxford IV and the Cork IV.

The Chief Adjudicator for the trials will be Ciarán Lawlor, who was Deputy Chief Adjudicator at the World Universities Debating Championships 2008 hosted by Assumption University in Thailand and is one of Ireland’s most accomplished debaters.

If you would like to take part, please contact the Debates Convenor, Jonathan Wyse at dc@tcdphil.com. Alternatively, you can sign up on the notice boards of the GMB. Eligible teams should register to compete before the evening of Friday, the 10th of October. The procedure for selecting judges to represent the society will be publicised here at a later date.