12 October 2011
We were joined this evening by senior debaters from St Helen's for a fun and intellectually challenging debating workshop. The evening was led by Erin Fitzgerald, an Oxford University doctoral candidate and debating champion, freshly back from her research in Afganistan to give us the benefit of her argumentative skills and strategies.
After learning how to construct a convincing argument (on the spot) in favour of or against just about any idea in the world, from banning meat to banning child stars on talent stars, students were teamed up for a showdown on the issue of cosmetic surgery: should we ban it? Arguments were heated and passionate, and points of information flew backwards and forwards. Tea and cakes helped sooth any lingering tensions, however, and the debaters disbanded excited about the prospect of upcoming competitive debates.
