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In 1992, the fledgling debate team at Michigan State University teamed up with a few local high school debate coaches to create a new debate institute, centered around maximizing instruction and value for the students who would attend.

In the fifteen years since , the Spartan Debate Institutes have grown, hosting more than 3,000 debaters, hailing from all 50 states, coming from schools and debate circuits of all shapes and sizes.

Entering our 16th summer, our commitment to each and every student still revolves around the same principles we pionneered in our first summer:

  • Quality Faculty - the finest college and high school coaches in the nation
  • Comprehensive Curriculum - inclusive of all arguments and styles
  • Instruction for All Levels - labs for pre-novices to TOC Champoions
  • Student-Staff Ratio - never higher than 8:1
  • More Actual Debating - four or more debates each week
  • Individualized Instruction - less lectures, more small group learning
  • Shared Evidence - a CD with every file from the session taken home be each student
  • A Fun, Safe Environment - responsible instructors, permanent dorm staff, and firm, reasonable rules, fairly and consistent enforced

Join us this summer, and discover why the Spartan Debate Institutes are not only the best value in debate instruction, but are simply the best.

The dates for the 2008 SDI are:

2-week program: July 6-18
3-week program: July 6-25
4-week program: July 6- August 1
5th-week program: August 1-9

Interested in learning about debate for the first time? New debate students are encouraged to apply for our two-week program, where we offer a curriculum tailored specifically to their needs.

The SDI is excited to announce a 2008 topic lecture by guest speaker Rich Edwards

Photo of Rich Edwards

 

 Rich Edwards is a Professor of Communication Studies at Baylor University. A college debate coach for more than two decades and the former director of summer debate programs at Northwestern, Georgia State, and Baylor, Edwards was elected to the National Federation of High School's Hall of Fame in 2006 and was awarded the NFL's 'Humanitarian Award' in 2007. Edwards has also authored the topic introduction issue of Forensics Quarterly for more than three decades, and was part of the topic wording committee for the upcoming high school topic. The SDI is very pleased to have him join us this year!