Debate

The first debate, 'Vanderbilt Insight Debate on Institutional Neutrality,' will be held on Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. in the Seigenthaler Center Forum Room. The topic will delve into whether Vanderbilt should maintain its policy of institutional neutrality. Registration using your Vanderbilt email address is required to attend. Read More

Hosted by Vanderbilt Civil Discourse Lab, 60 student-athletes gathered for the event—which kicked off Dialogue Vanderbilt fall activities—in an effort to model and encourage civil discourse on campus. The topic of the debate was “Resolved: Playing offense is harder than playing defense," a subject that cut to the core identity of many in the room. Read More

In August 2023, the university launched Dialogue Vanderbilt, its core initiative to bridge divides, reestablish a vibrant culture of civil discourse and free expression, and showcase experts from on campus and around the world, leading the charge to build more engaged citizens and communities.  Read More

Each month, from September through November, the College Democrats and College Republicans will face off in front of a public audience composed of students, faculty, staff and community members. Shortly after each of these debates, the Advocacy, Dialogue and Debate Lab will host an Agnon Dialogue, during which approximately 50 student participants will have the opportunity to make their case in front of and have their arguments tested by their peers.  Read More

Although gun control is a topic at the forefront of the national conversation, it’s rare to see a structured debate on gun policy reform between those on opposing sides of the issue. On Feb. 28, the Advocacy, Dialogue, and Debate Lab for Civil Discourse Education and Vanderbilt Political Review hosted a debate on gun control policy between Vanderbilt College Republicans and College Democrats on gun control policy. It was the first time in several years that the two organizations held a formal debate. The event was sponsored by Dialogue Vanderbilt. Read More

As a follow-up to the successful and illuminating Agnon Dialogues discussion on gun restrictions, Vanderbilt Debate lab is partnering with Vanderbilt Political Review, College Republicans and College Democrats to host a debate on gun control policy Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. Read More

The Dialogue Vanderbilt Public Debate Series is scheduled to kick off with a public debate on Friday, Feb. 2, at 6 p.m. The debate tournament will follow on Saturday and Sunday.  Read More

The tournament, scheduled for Dec. 26 to Jan. 5, is recognized as the largest college debate competition in the world, attracting more than 400 teams from educational institutions across the globe. This is the third time Vanderbilt Debate will participate in face-to-face debates at the WUDC, having previously represented the university in 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand, and in 2022 in Madrid, Spain. The team’s participation underscores Vanderbilt’s commitment to fostering intellectual rigor and global engagement through the art of debate.  Read More

A team of students from Vanderbilt University competed against many of the top debate teams in the nation at the recent European Union-sponsored Schuman Challenge, an annual foreign affairs contest for undergraduate students in the U.S. It provides competitors a chance to present and defend transatlantic policy recommendations in front of a panel of judges.   Read More

Vanderbilt University invites the Nashville and campus communities to an exhibition on Friday, Feb. 3, designed to introduce the craft of debate to new audiences while exploring a timely topic. Read More

Virtual learning for Vanderbilt debate students opened doors halfway around the world this spring, as a friendly virtual competition with the Rwanda National Debate Team brought deeper opportunities to learn about that nation’s genocide in 1994.  Read More

Vanderbilt Debate hosted three top debaters from University College Dublin for a spirited exhibition debate at the First Amendment Center on whether social media enhances or undermines democracy. Read More

A debate featuring Tennessee State University and Vanderbilt students is set for Feb. 25. Admission is free. Read More

The Nashville Elementary School Debate Consortium takes place April 9 at J.E. Moss Elementary School in Antioch. Read More

Congress is taking up the debate over comprehensive immigration reform yet again. Vanderbilt has a diverse array of experts researching various aspects of the immigration debate. Read More

This Week on VUCast, Vanderbilt’s online newscast: Why one Vandy professor says pawn shops are a better economic move than you realize. Which gives a bigger political punch to undecided voters—the debates or negative ads? Go behind closed “Dores” to see what game day is really like. Read More

At the 2012 American Debate Association National Championship, Xin (Malia) Zhan and Saad Rehman took home the championship in the JV division, with Rehman also winning the Top Speaker Award in that division. (Photo provided by Vanderbilt Debate Team) The Vanderbilt debate team ended its year with some notable… Read More

Watch a distinguished panel of business and academic experts discuss the viability of record labels in the digital age during the first Vanderbilt-Melbourne Global Debate. The Nov. 15 debate was the first of an ongoing series born of Vanderbilt University’s partnership with The University of Melbourne. The debate… Read More

A distinguished panel of business and academic experts will discuss the viability of record labels in the digital age during the first Vanderbilt-Melbourne Global Debate. The debate, the first of an ongoing series born of Vanderbilt University’s partnership with The University of Melbourne, will be held 9 to 10:45 a.m. Nov. 15 in Flynn Auditorium at Vanderbilt Law School. Read More