College Debates Program

A Partnership Between

What is the College Debates Program?

College leaders are applauding the dynamic partnership that ACTA has forged with Braver Angels and the student group BridgeUSA to launch a civil debates program for students on college campuses nationwide. We are convinced that properly conducted debates can have a depolarizing and transformational effect on students – teaching them to engage respectfully with each other on divisive social and political issues.

Each partner organization brings key strengths to the initiative:

Braver Angels provides a proven debate methodology, programs, and workshops that teach students to engage with empathy and civility.
ACTA brings myriad connections to college leadership and faculty, along with publicity and media expertise.
BridgeUSA has a wide network of chapters on college campuses, led by students dedicated to civic engagement.

When the program launched in 2018, student debates were held in-person on college campuses. After the onset of the pandemic, the program shifted online with great success. In 2020, more than 800 students participated in debates and events, along with faculty and college administrators.

Student debates are configured in the following formats:
Intra-classroom (organized for one classroom, often built into an instruction plan)
Intra-college (organized within one student community)
Inter-college (across multiple institutions)
National (students and faculty joining on their own from anywhere)

Check out photos from past events

American University (on site) – Topic: Is Health Care a Human Right?
Eastern Tennessee State University (on site) – Topic: Gun Carrying Rights
University of California-Berkeley (on site) – Topic: The Future of People’s Park
Christopher Newport University (on site) – Topic: Banning Assault Weapons
Arizona State University (on site) – Topic: Building the Southern Border Wall

Mississippi State University (on site): Topic: Confederate References and Paraphernalia
Linn-Benton Community College, Oregon (online) – Topic: Free College Tuition
National Intercollegiate Debate (online) – Topic: Defunding Police Departments
North Carolina State University (online) – Topic: Reforming Greek Life
Yale Political Union (monthly online national debates began on September 8)
Texas Wesleyan University (online) – Topic: Removing Confederate Monuments
The George Washington University – Topic: Term Limits for the Supreme Court
Southwestern University (online) – Topic: Voting Rights/Electoral Process

Contact Us

April Lawson

Director of Debates and Public Discourse, Braver Angels

april@braverangels.org

Doug Sprei

Director of Multimedia and Campus Partnerships, ACTA

dsprei@goacta.org

Manu Meel

CEO, BridgeUSA

manumeel@bridgeusa.org

Video

College Debates With Braver Angels and ACTA (December, 2020)

Podcasts

The Transformative Power of Braver Angels College Debates

April Lawson: Leading Better Angels Debates to Depolarize America

David Blankenhorn: Depolarizing America with Better Angels

Participant Testimonials

“Braver Angels debates are a great place to hear other sides of an argument and really question and come to terms with your own beliefs. It's a good place for people to collaborate and really get down to the nitty gritty when it comes to tough political and societal issues.”

StudentLinn-Benton Community College

"I think it would be helpful to have this kind of debate on more college campuses. It's important more than ever to foster discussion and for it to happen in an intimate setting where you have to actually address the people you're debating, and where you are confronted with opposing views that force you to think about your own.”

StudentChristopher Newport University

“Braver Angels is the perfect program for giving us a concrete framework in which to think about talking with people with differing political views. The enthusiasm our students brought to this work demonstrated that there is a real hunger among young people to pursue these dialogues. ACTA’s support in organizing students and building capacity has created the possibility that GWU students will initiate and host their own debates in the future, to the great benefit of the campus community.”

David DaganAssociate Professor of Politics, The George Washington University

“Many colleges and universities are now recognizing that they have an indispensable role in teaching students how to engage in civil discourse. This should be a college-level outcome that all students are expected to meet. If you look at the polarization in this country, if you look at what employers are saying about increased conflict in the workplace over really controversial social issues, it demonstrates that these skills are needed now, possibly more than ever.”

Mark UristaCommunications Instructor, Linn-Benton Community College

“This debate was incredible. I really appreciated the different perspectives. This was certainly a pleasure to be a part of, and I think it gave everyone that attended a chance to feel truly listened to and not like we were in a meaningless yelling match on social media.”

Steven Student at Texas Wesleyan University, 10/1/20