We are pleased to offer the third annual Kritik lab! Critical argumentation in high school debate continues to thrive. The goal for all coaches and students is to maintain in depth understanding of reading in critical theory. Unfortunately, too many institutes prepare students only to repeat catchy phrases and buzzwords. In this lab, we want to give students an opportunity to read, discuss, and put into practice many of the most advanced contemporary critical theory as it applies to the topic.
While it is true of course, that all debaters attending the workshops will learn about both policy-oriented and critically-oriented research and argumentation, the Kritik lab focuses exclusively on the latter in the formulation of research and strategy. The lab is taught by very experienced teachers and strategists who have worked successfully competed and taught critical argumentation at the highest level. The lab will be limited to 24 students in order to maximize individualized instruction and facilitate guided reading.
We do not believe kritiking should be considered a separate strategy or isolated from other labs. Previous students can attest to the great balance, depth, and diversity of argument instruction across all our labs. Instead, we understand that some students want to spend a great deal of time focusing on critical theory. This happens for a number of reasons. Many students recognize that critical theory is a weakness in their set of argumentative approaches and strategies, and they want to help address this weakness. Other students want to continue investigating critical arumentation in addition to attending the Skills Session and/or another institute. Some simply can't get enough critical theory. Whatever your level of skill or experience with critical theory and argumentation, the K lab is for you!
Our goal in the Kritik lab is not only training debaters in the theory of critiques, but also providing debaters with the practice they need to win debates. Kritik lab students will participate in many lectures given at the camp, about the topic, debate theory, or critiques. In addition to these lectures, Kritik lab participants will receive intensive instruction in critiques as they relate to debate theory, background in critical arguments, how to research, and debating critiques on the affirmative and negative. The secret to the advanced instruction of the Kritik lab: seminar-based instruction on reading you will actually do from authors who will actually be read in debates.
Our theory in teaching the lab is that the best way for debaters to learn critical arguments is through reading the primary and secondary sources themselves. Rather than lecturing debaters about abstract critical theory, our goal is to have trained teachers lead debaters through how to read and understand these critical arguments. At most debate institutes teachers give detailed explanations and outlines of academic theory and then debaters are sent off to research arguments in the library dungeons. In the Kritik lab, in addition to those outlines and explanations, debaters will read Foucault, read Zizek, and read Agamben. Each day all lab members will discuss an article or chapters from a book relating to a particular theory or author with their lab leaders. After reading the introductory materials, participants can then research whatever arguments they are interested in, but at a minimum everyone reads about many of the different critical approaches.
Some of the theories and authors we will read & discuss include:
- Debate theory-> Solt, Mitchell, and Shanahan
- Realism-> Mearshimer and Bleiker
- Critiques of International Relations
- Capitalism and Globalization
- Development
- Humanitarianism and Colonialism
- Human Rights
- Critiques of Medicine
- Critiques of AIDS and disease representations
- Foucault and Agamben
- Heidegger and Spanos
- Lacan and Zizek
- Nietzsche
- Performance Theory
- Security and Threat Construction
- African Philosophy
We are tremendously excited this year to offer a unique combination of lab leaders that will rival any critical lab in the country.
