About CDS
The Chicago Debate Society is the University of Chicago's preeminent debate team.
We are a registered academic organization with over 60 active members. Our debaters compete in the American Parliamentary Debate Association (APDA) circuit as well as in British Parliamentary (BP) debate.
History
The Chicago Debate Society is one of the oldest student organizations at the University of Chicago. Over the years, the Society has moderated presidential nomination debates, hosted student activists, and partnered with The Economist to promote rigorous intellectual discourse on campus.
Who Are We?
The average CDS debater is part of 3 student organizations, graduating with 2 majors, and holds 1 on-campus job.
Our brilliant debaters hail from a diverse set of academic backgrounds, studying in the fields of economics, math, political science, public policy, computer science, and more.
In addition, many of our most successful alumni have gone on to become pioneers in business, politics, law, and academia.
How We Train
Our weekly meetings on Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday consist of practice rounds, drills, and seminars that teach debate style and argumentation. Older club members mentor novices and share valuable resources, which allow our members to improve rapidly. We send teams to tournaments almost every weekend throughout the school year and host tournaments on campus.
Where Are We Now?
CDS develops a tight alumni network of professionals hailing from a variety of sectors, including consulting, trading, banking, technology, nonprofits, education, public sector, law, think tanks, and more.
Our team prepares its members for all types of careers by fostering strong public speaking, leadership, writing, and critical thinking skills.
Our alumni have also gone on to attend law school and business school, as well as top-ranked PhD and Masters programs across the globe.
CDS debaters have earned graduate degrees from institutions such as Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford, Stanford, Yale, NYU, Columbia, Peking University, Wharton, MIT, UChicago, Tsinghua University, and many others.
Participating in CDS unlocks a wealth of opportunities in academia by discovering a passion for a multidisciplinary approach to learning.
Public Debates
In addition to competing in debate tournaments, which you can find more information about here, The Chicago Debate Society hosts public debates on UChicago's campus at least once a quarter. Our most recent debate engaged scholars from UChicago and USC in a discussion about Artificial Intelligence and consciousness. In 2018, CDS hosted a public debate in partnership with The Economist on the topic of global trade. CDS debaters participated in the event which was moderated by a journalist from The Economist. Other past topics include Antifa vs. free speech, a resolution passed by UChicago Student Government to give students on the executive slate a pay raise, and global trade policy.
Check out CDS on Facebook for up-to-date information about upcoming public debates.
How to Join
CDS welcomes members of all experience levels to join. We do not have a tryout process and many of our most successful debaters had no experience prior to joining the team.
If you’d like more information on joining, click here!
For Alumni
If you are an alumni of CDS, we’d love to stay in touch! We are always looking for opportunities to reconnect with former debaters through judging opportunities, pre professional advice, and guest lectures!
To stay updated on team news, competition highlights, and potential outreach opportunities, we invite you to subscribe to our quarterly alumni newsletter below!