Debate

As 2020 has arrived, the Seisen debating season has begun!  Debate is a process that involves a formal discussion on a specific issue between two opposing teams: an affirmative and a negative perspective. Debates are usually held after school every Wednesday at St. Marys International School against other international schools within the Kanto Plains, which encompasses ASIJ, ISSH, Zama, and St.Marys. So far this year, one of the topics that were addressed was the controversial issue of whether men and women's sports be should cover equitably in the media. In this debate, the word, “equitable” caused confusion among the students. Although according to the Oxford dictionary, the term is defined as “fair and impartial”, in this context the word equitable does not mean equal. Within this topic, some main opposing views being explored were that we should cover men's sports a lot more than women, and we should cover men‘s and women's sports equally. The second topic that has been explored was whether zoos should be banned. Through this topic, the pros and cons of zoos have been looked into, and some factors that have been considered were economic, mental and physical health, safety, and animal rights.

Debate provides experiences that are conducive to cognitive, and presentational skills. In addition, debaters learn to deploy rational, reasoned arguments with compelling evidence. It enables them to highlight their standpoint and instill a great sense of confidence within the debaters. Moreover, debate also enhances the ability to structure analytical, research and note-taking skills.