Why+Choose+the+7+Week+Wildcat+Experience?


 * The Northwestern University & University of Kentucky 7 Week Fellows Summer Debate Program**


 * __Program Top Features__**


 * __Sixteen student labs__.** The best social science research on assessment of learning outcomes demonstrates that small class sizes with rich cohort experiences are two of the most important factors that influence student educational outcomes. We will enforce a hard cap at sixteen students per lab which that separates us from other institutes that have lab sizes of two or even three times that.


 * __A Professional teaching staff__.** Each of the four 7 week instructors is a professional educator who has devoted their entire adult life to coaching and teaching debate at the highest levels of competition. The four primary instructors of the seven week program developed the curriculum as a team; they include Dr. Daniel J. Fitzmier (Director of Debate, Northwestern University), Andrea Reed (Director, University of Kentucky), Dave Arnett (Head Coach, University of Kentucky), and Jeff Buntin (Debate Coach, Northwestern University).


 * __An Integrated Curriculum__.** Each component of our Theory, Research, Topic Analysis, and Debating Curriculum is designed with 7 weeks of instruction in mind.


 * __The most skills development of any 7 week program in the nation__**. Because of our low staff to student ratio we can build in an amazing 26 guaranteed debates along with dozens of drills and one on one speech work. Unlike many other debate institutes, we make it a point of emphasis to staff our practice debates with the primary instructors who direct the program.


 * __Cost competitive__.** The Kentucky-Northwestern pricing model is competitive with all other 7 week programs in the country. Transportation between the camps via charter bus is included in the cost of tuition. Families will merely have to arrange for transportation to Lexington, Kentucky and from Chicago, Illinois.


 * __Meet our Primary 7 Week Instructors for 2012__**


 * Dan Fitzmier** is the Director of Debate at Northwestern University and a member of the faculty in Northwestern's School of Communication. Dan was the coach of the 2011 National Debate Tournament winners and Top Speaker. He has coached the Final round of the N.D.T. on seven different occasions, with wins in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2011. In twelve seasons of coaching collegiate debate his teams have finished among the top three teams at the NDT twelve times, have won the Copeland Award four times, and have been ranked among the top 16 at-large bids to the N.D.T. twenty times. The 2012 Kentucky Debate Institute will be his 23rd summer debate institute.


 * Andrea Reed** is the Director of Debate at the University of Kentucky and the Director of the Tournament of Champions. Andrea is one of the rising stars in the college debate world. Prior to arriving at Kentucky, she was an assistant coach at Berkeley and Wake Forest University. She coached the 2008 N.D.T. Champions and the 2009 N.D.T. Finalists. She debated in college at Michigan State, reaching the elimination rounds of the NDT and CEDA national tournaments and in high school at Highland Park, TX, where she reached the semi-finals of the TOC. Andrea has taught at numerous summer debate institutes including Michigan State, Kentucky and Northwestern.


 * Dave Arnett** is the Head Debate Coach at the University of Kentucky. Prior to coaching at Kentucky, Dave was the Director of Debate at the University of California, Berkeley for twelve years where he coached 12 teams to first round-at-large bids to the National Debate Tournament. He has coached two NDT finalists, one CEDA national championship team, three Copeland Award winners, and the winners of almost every major college tournament including: Harvard, The Dartmouth Robin, Wake Forest, Kentucky, Northwestern, USC, Fullerton, and Gonzaga. Dave was named the National Coach of the Year in 2009 and voted runner-up for Coach of the Decade. Dave has directed debate institutes and taught labs at Emory, Berkeley, Stanford, Gonzaga, Kentucky, and Northwestern.


 * Jeff Buntin** is the Debate Coach at Northwestern University and is widely considered to be among the best coaches in college debate. He coached the 2011 National Debate Tournament champions at Northwestern as well as the 2010 runner-up. He has coached teams to win the Kentucky, Harvard, Wake Forest, Southern California, California State University – Fullerton, and Dartmouth College tournaments. Jeff designs and leads the overall research curriculum at the Kentucky and Northwestern Institutes. Several classes of students ranked have previously ranked his research lectures as the most helpful of the summer. Jeff has eight years of institute teaching experience at Whitman, Gonzaga, Kentucky, and Northwestern.


 * __Our Approach to the 7-week Curriculum__**


 * I. Research**

Unlike many institutes where the faculty is expected to write most of the files that are produced during the course of the program, our goal is to teach students how to write their own files. We are convinced that developing student research skills is one of the most important areas where students can see dramatic and rapid improvement in their debate success. Our curriculum is based on a small group team approach to topic research including the creation of assignment lists, small group or individual assignments, and hands-on coaching throughout the file production process. We have built multiple research waves with adequate time for revision and re-writing in order to maximally incorporate instructor feedback into the final argument product. We leverage this by adopting an innovative subject-immersion approach which designates major research areas each week and supported each with relevant lectures, drills, and small group work.


 * II. Debating**

One of the enormous benefits of a small lab size is the ability to offer a high number of professionally critiqued practice debates. Each student will be guaranteed 26 debates with redo opportunities for each debate. In addition we’ve created a unique set of drills designed to focus on specific areas such as extending specific arguments, word economy, etc. Another part of our debating curriculum includes video work where students will receive one on one tutorials using video from practice debates; this portion of the curriculum leverages Northwestern’s highly successful model of incorporating one-on-one film review into the coaching process.


 * III. Topic Analysis**

We will offer dozens of topic lectures covering all core issues related to the topic. Experts in the field will be invited to lecture on issues of special topic relevance. The majority of our lectures will be limited to 16 students creating a college seminar style environment conducive to productive question and answer sessions.


 * IV. Theory**

We seek to present a balanced and thorough survey of all the major theoretical issues in contemporary debate. The 7 week structure allows for a layered approach to learning that begins with broad concepts and follows up with specific seminars and drills. Each theory seminar is followed by a relevant drill to teach students to understand as well as execute specific arguments. Our goal is to teach students to develop the skills required to write their own theory blocks as opposed to becoming consumers of the ideas of others.


 * __A look at the 7 Week Fellows Program for Seniors__**

The 7 week Fellows program at the University of Kentucky and Northwestern University is unlike any other debate institute curriculum in the nation. We begin with the presupposition that small class sizes and a variety of expert instructors makes for a qualitatively superior institute product. We are committed to the notion that we will admit no more than 16 highly qualified rising seniors into the program; in our experience low student-to-teacher ratios are the key to engagement and learning. The first three weeks of our program focus on research, argument construction, and debating. These first three weeks are hosted at the University of Kentucky and directed by Dan Fitzmier and Dave Arnett who will likely be joined by an assistant instructor beginning in the summer of 2012. . The second portion of our program is hosted by Northwestern University and is again directed by Dr. Fitzmier. He will be joined by a number of instructors associated with the Northwestern Debate Society. Our presupposition is that students learn best from a wide variety of instructors and instructional styles; our extensive staff enables us to allows each instructor to focus on the areas that that they have expertise in. To get a sense of the kinds of instructors we will bring in for the 2012 Institute take a look at the following list of instructors who taught during the 4 Week component of the program hosted by Northwestern in 2011. Our group in 2011 was directed by Dan Fitzmier with assistance from Dr. Chris Lundberg – Assistant Professor of Communication at the University of North Carolina, Jeff Buntin – Debate Coach at Northwestern University, John Warden – Copeland Winner and associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Seth Gannon – N.D.T. Winner and CSIS researcher, Dan Shalmon – two time Copeland Winner and graduate student at Georgetown University and the University of Illinois, Jonah Feldman – Director of Debate at the University of California at Berkeley, Stephanie Spies – 2011 N.D.T. Winner and Top Speaker, Ryan Beiermeister – 2011 N.D.T. Semi-Finalist and Northwestern Undergraduate, and Layne Kirshon – 2011 N.D.T. Semi-Finalist and Northwestern Undergraduate.


 * __Program Cost and Dates__**

Please note that transportation between Kentucky and Northwestern is built into the coast of the program. You will only be expected to provide transportation to Kentucky and from Northwestern.
 * $5,725** ($1375 Kentucky, includes 75 dollar transportation fee, $4350 Northwestern)

//*estimate based on 2011 tuition. 2012 tuition is not expected to substantially vary.//
 * June 19th-August 4th**


 * likely 2012 dates. Will be confirmed by Sept 1.**

For more information please email Dave Arnett at DavidBrianArnett@gmail.com**.