Admission requirements
This course is open for students of BA International Studies only. The number of participants is limited to 25.
Description
How do successful leaders defend their standpoint in a discussion? What can we learn from them? In this course, we will focus on both the theory and practice of debate. In the theoretical component of the course, we will discuss a set of systematic strategies which will increase your abilities to critically analyse debates, as well as your abilities to find relevant arguments to support and defend a position in a debate. In the practical component of the course, these theoretical insights will be put into practice and you will improve your own debating skills. In addition, we will look at international political debates and analyse the strategies used by the debaters, and we will address the question to what extent the nature of (parliamentary) debate (and argumentation) is culturally dependent.
Additionally, the students will work through W.C. Booth, G.G. Colomb, J.W. Williams, The Craft of Research, third edition, Chicago/London: University of Chicago Press, 2008.
Course objectives
The elective courses for International Studies are designed to teach students how to deal with state-of-the-art literature and research questions. They are chosen to enhance the students’ learning experience by building on the interdisciplinary perspectives they have developed so far, and to introduce them to the art of academic research. They are characterised by an international or comparative approach.
Academic skills that are trained include:
Oral presentation skills:
1. to explain clear and substantiated research results;
2. to provide an answer to questions concerning (a subject) in the field covered by the course
a. in the form of a clear and well-structured oral presentation;
b. in agreement with the appropriate disciplinary criteria;
c. using up-to-date presentation techniques;
d. aimed at a specific audience;
3. to actively participate in a discussion following the presentation.
Collaboration skills:
1. to be socio-communicative in collaborative situations;
2. to provide and receive constructive criticism, and incorporate justified criticism by revising one’s own position;
3. adhere to agreed schedules and priorities.
Basic research skills, including heuristic skills:
1. to collect and select academic literature using traditional and digital methods and techniques;
2. to analyze and assess this literature with regard to quality and reliability;
3. to formulate on this basis a sound research question;
4. to design under supervision a research plan of limited scope, and implement it using the methods and techniques that are appropriate within the discipline involved;
5. to formulate a substantiated conclusion.
Written presentation skills:
1. to explain clear and substantiated research results;
2. to provide an answer to questions concerning (a subject) in the field covered by the course
a. in the form of a clear and well-structured oral presentation;
b. in agreement with the appropriate disciplinary criteria;
c. using relevant illustration or multimedia techniques;
d. aimed at a specific audience.
Timetable
The timetable will be available on the BA International Studies website this autumn. .
Mode of instruction
Tutorials and supervised research.
Assessment method
In-class participation, weekly assignments (web posting), analysis of a case study (10 %)
Debating, 2x (20%)
Midterm exam (30%)
Final research essay (max. 6000 words) (30%)
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used. Students are requested to register on Blackboard for this course.
Reading list
Booth, W.C., G.G. Colomb, J.W. Williams, The Craft of Research, third edition, Chicago/London: University of Chicago Press, 2008.
Ericson, Jon M., James J. Murphy & Raymond Bud Zeuschner (2011): The Debater’s guide. Fourth edition. Carbondale & Edwardsdale: Southern Illinois University Press.
Freeley, A.J. & D.L.Steinberg (2009): Argumentation and Debate. Critical thinking for reasoned decision making. Twelfth edition. Australia etc.: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Haaften, Ton van (2009): Parliamentary Debate and Political Culture: The Dutch Case. In: T. van Haaften, H. Jansen, J. de Jong, W. Koetsenruijter (eds.): Bending Opinion, Essays on persuasion in the public domain. Leiden: Leiden University Press, 349-368. THIS BOOK CHAPTER WILL BE AVAILABLE VIA BLACKBOARD.
Leeuwen, Maarten van (2012): Rhetorical Effects of Grammar. In: Critical Approaches to Discourse Analysis across Disciplines, 5(2), 88-101. THIS ARTICLE WILL BE AVAILABLE VIA BLACKBOARD.
Tindale, Christopher W. Tindale (2007): Fallacies and Argument Appraisal. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Chapters 1, 2, 5, 7.
Other course readings will be announced on Blackboard.
Registration
Students are requested to register through uSis, the registration system of Leiden University for this course. General information about uSis is available in English and Dutch.
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Not applicable.
Remarks
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