Pitt to Host International Public Debate Oct. 5
PITTSBURGH-The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Communication in the School of Arts and Sciences will host an international public debate between the William Pitt Debating Union (WPDU) and the British National Debating Team from 5 to 6 p.m. Oct. 5 in Pitt's English Nationality Room, 144 Cathedral of Learning, 4200 Fifth Ave., Oakland.
Gordon Mitchell, associate professor of communication, director of the WPDU, and deputy director of the Matthew B. Ridgway Center for International Security Studies in Pitt's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, will moderate the debate.
Pitt communication doctoral students Matthew Brigham and Catherine Morrison will defend the motion, "This House Would Give Ahmadinejad a Forum," while visiting British national champion debaters Alex Just and Alistair Cormack will provide loyal opposition.
Born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, Just is a former president of the Oxford Union and is currently a senior studying history and politics at the University of Oxford. He was a grand finalist at the World Schools' Debating Championships in Singapore and a grand finalist at the World Universities' Debating Championships in Malaysia.
Cormack recently graduated from the University of Durham with an honors degree in history and politics. He was ranked in the top 10 European speakers of 2006 and also is a finalist at the English National Championships.
As intercollegiate debaters, Pitt's Brigham and Morrison both excelled in policy debate competition for Baylor University and James Madison University.
The WPDU is a Pitt student organization involved in a wide range of debating activities, including two-person intercollegiate policy debate, international parliamentary debate, and various forms of public debate. One of the oldest organizations of its kind in the nation, WPDU is housed in Pitt's communication department.
Pittsburgh is the fifth stop on the British National Debate Team's four-month tour of the United States. The American Forensic Association and National Communication Association sponsoring the British tour.
Audience questions and comment are encouraged for Friday's debate, which is free and open to the public. For more information, call 412-624-2887.
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