Forensics

Why Xylum?

Xylum Debate Institute is an immersive student experience that emphasizes persuasive speaking for winning debates.

While most debate camps focus on speed and technical vocabulary, XDI teaches students how to become successful policy debaters without sputtering out a hundred words a second.

By offering a curriculum that focuses on fluency with advanced historical analysis and ethical theories, we provide students with the tools to engage in critical interrogation of both their opponents' arguments and themselves. For students who are frustrated with critical debate, this boot camp addresses the challenge of kritiks head-on and helps students become proficient in answering them. Our outstanding faculty and past student success speaks to the ability of this curricular focus to dramatically improve student debating ability.

XDI is an exchange of different ideas and does not prescribe any ideological agenda. Overall we foster critical thinking about both U.S. policy in Latin America and the assumptions that underlie our understanding of the contemporary world.

Scholars Lab

Xylum Scholars Lab is for advanced students who have already mastered the fundamentals of critical debating and are ready to take their game to the next level. Scholars will work in a small group with select faculty on advanced research and skill topics, including:

• The art of slow debate: Beating faster teams through disciplined word efficiency.
• Experimental argument forms: Fictional and poetic strategies, personal narratives and pretending to be something else (non-policy role-playing).
• Advanced debate theory: The critical debate about conditionality, agent counterplans and flexible advocacy.
• Mixed media evidence preparation: How to debate using infographics, music, and video files, and how to strategize against media arguments.
• … as well as sessions prepared specifically on student-suggested topics. XDI Scholars will communicate with faculty on a listserv and can ask questions, share files and get a head-start months prior to the beginning of institute

This lab will focus somewhat more on research and will include a scholars challenge debate with faculty in addition to the normal camp tournament The lab will have rotating faculty but will be led by Edmund Zagorin. Prior attendees of Xylum are automatically eligible for the Scholars Lab

Testimonials

Xylum Debate Institute has been the best decision I’ve made during my four years as a policy debater. I’ve been to three other debate camps, but I didn’t have nearly as much fun, or learned more than I did during my stay at XDI. The lab leaders were some of the best in the nation. The xylumites (my fellow campers) were some of the most intelligent. I drastically improved my argumentation skills, and learned how to appreciate the activity that I participated in. At Xylum I learned how to resist the allure of microfascism, sing while spreading, debate the non-topic, and act like a terrorist (A symbolic gesture, not a literal endorsement, I promise you. My father is a TSA officer). This year I’ve been lucky enough to qualify to the Tournament of Champions. I owe most, if not all of my success to the Xylum and I am proud to be an alumni of such a wonderful program.
Jean Baudrillard once said: “Perhaps the world’s second worst crime is boredom. The first is being a bore.” XDI is where boredom comes to die, and knowledge comes to life.

— Christian Palacios, debater at Whitney Young HS, recently qualified for the Tournament of Champions

Attending the XDI was a monumental experience. I went from a strictly stock-issues debate style to reading a Kritikal aff, that would never have happened without XDI. I was taught not only the art of the kritik, but also to question the world around me. This is not your typical debate camp, to pass up XDI for any other camp would be a mistake.

— Kathryn Holbert, debater at Round Rock HS

I’ve only begun to notice, but XDI has made me a much better debater. I’ve gotten a speaker award at the last three tournaments I’ve been to and a lot of it has to do with my ability to explain my arguments and use some ethos along with it.

— Ezra Louvis, debater at Stuyvesant HS and recent TOC bid-winner at the Harvard University Tournament

Easily the best 7 days of my life, and now it’s twice the fun. The people are awesome, the staff is freaking ridiculous, and the experience is unmatchable. If you’re into critical debate, have an interest in delving into the wild world of the K, or just want to examine the enigmatic Edmund firsthand, then apply to get in on the (literally) revolutionary Xylum Debate Institute. Where the limit isn’t the rules or the text, it’s the debater. Also you get sweet nicknames (mine’s muffin/cupcake).

— Aubtin Heydari, debater at Harrisonburg H.S.

Department of Mass Communication and Communication Studies
Media Center, Room 205 (map)
Phone: 410-704-2888
Fax: 410-704-3656

Mailing address: 8000 York Rd., Towson, MD 21252
Director of Forensics: jpotter@towson.edu
Webmaster: mccs@towson.edu