RULES
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In the University Student Debate, students of any university or degree who have registered before Friday February 28th 2020 can participate. Neither native English speakers nor festival volunteers can participate.
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Each student will have to debate in English about topics which will be on a list handed out by the jury on the day of the debate. Both the topic and the position to be taken (in favour or against) will be decided in a public draw before the debate starts.
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The students will not be able to bring notes made beforehand, or dictionaries of any kind and they cannot use mobile phones during the debate. However, they can bring blank sheets and pens to write down what they want in order to prepare their intervention.
The debate time will be of a minimum of 5 minutes and a maximum of 8 and a microphone system will be used. There will be a moderator of the debate who will make the draw. This person will have the function of intervening if the word turns are not respected, and will energize the conversation if necessary.
The debate will have knockout stages. The number of these stages will depend on the number of participants. The organization reserves the right to announce the final format after the registration period closes.
Preparation: It is important for the student to work on the argument in addition to the language proficiency and pronunciation. The jury will give points for the ideas, arguments and counter-arguments that each topic may suggest.
DAY, DEBATE VENUE AND CONTACTS
The debates are open to the public and they can be recorded. They will take place on Friday March 13th,, 2020 at 10 am in the morning. The final will be the same Friday at 1.30 pm in the assembly hall of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili in the Terres de l’Ebre campus.
The jury will be made up of representatives of Swansea University, Wales and of the T.I.E.F.
VERDICT AND PRIZE-GIVING
The final verdict will be published once the jury has deliberated at the end of the final debate. The prizes however, will be awarded during the closing ceremony which will be held on Sunday March 15th, 2020.
The prize will be personal and non-transferable and if it cannot be accepted it will be for the runner-up.
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UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DEBATE QUESTIONS 2020
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· The government should pay for all university education.
· Health care should be free in all countries.
· Lawyers should make a higher salary than nurses.
· Regional wealth should be distributed evenly across a country.
· Success in life means money.
· Friendship is the most important relationship in life.
· Starting school later is beneficial to teenage brain development
· The voting age should be lowered.
· The driving age should be raised.
· Governments should encourage students to go study to foreign countries.
· All jobs should have the same schedule as schools so children can spend more time with their parents.
· Small nations have a future and a say in a globalised world
· Are you worried about the ozone cape? Do you think university students consume too much alcohol?
· Should both parents have the same paternity leave?
· Should governments build more public libraries?
· Should smoking be banned?
· Should drugs consumption be prosecuted?
· Should migrants from certain countries be banned?
· Should minor languages be taught at schools?
· Should Gibraltar be declared as Spanish?
· Should Ceuta and Melilla be considered Moroccan?
· Should tests be the most important part of an evaluation?
· Should all university students know at least two languages, other than their mother tongue?
· Should all University courses be taught in English, instead of Spanish or Catalan?
· Are strikes useful?
· Should printed books be banned in favor of ebooks?
· Should Catalonia consider the third weekend of February as National Calçotada Day?
· Should religious symbols be banned from public spaces?