Global Politics on Trial: Using Educational Debate for Teaching Controversies of World Affairs

Abstract

World politics is rife with complex controversial issues. A time-honored method of teaching controversies and skills of critical analysis is educational debate. This study seeks to acquaint educators of world politics with methodology of educational debate and provide practical recommendations on how to make this method of instruction a success. It focuses on challenges to functional debateFdifficulties with motivating students to think critically and assessing them reliably, engaging all students in debates and maintaining rapport in the classroom, selecting appropriate topics for debates and economizing instructor's preparation timeFand suggests approaches for tackling the barriers to this instructional technique. The practical recommendations proposed in the study have been validated in the research literature and evidence collected in the introductory international relations classes by means of action research.World politics has always been an area of highly contested theoretical and empirical questions: What are the limits and possibilities of theoretical approaches to world affairs? Does a particular international relations theory have the explanatory value it claims? Do ethics matter in politics among nations? Are we living in a multi-(uni-, bi-) polar world? 1 Recent debates about U.S. foreign policy, Islam, Middle East, terrorism, and individual liberties have urged educators to re-examine the ways in which well-reasoned thinking about political controversies can be taught to dispassionate students.Educational debate is a time-honored method of teaching controversies and wellreasoned thinking. The studies in civic education demonstrated that wellstructured debate can promote critical thinking, deepen students' understanding of complex social and political issues, and sharpen communication skills. Participation in educational debates increases students' interest in discussing political events, and other forms of political engagement (

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