Round 1Education
Preliminary rounds
Round 2Crime and Justice
THW allow first-time offenders to, with the consent of the victims, pay compensation to them in place of a prison sentence
Round 3Ethics and Philosophy
TH regrets the rise of a 'hookup culture' (one which accepts and encourages casual sexual encounters focused on physical pleasure, without necessarily including emotional bonding)
Round 5International Relations
THBT the Trans-Pacific Partnership is in the interests of the small and medium-sized negotiating countries
Info slide
A number of countries are currently negotiating to establish the world's largest free trade area by comprehensively liberalising trade in the Asia-Pacific region. This proposed agreement, known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), would include the following countries: United States, Japan, Australia, Vietnam, Mexico, Chile, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, and Brunei. China is NOT included in these negotiations.
Round 6Society and Culture
THW make the receipt of welfare payments to raise children conditional on the use of long-term, but reversible, contraception
Round 7Health and Medicine
THBT government agencies that regulate drugs should only test whether a drug is safe, not whether it is effective, before approving it for public use [info slide: http://goo.gl/gomgDI]
Round 7Health and Medicine
This house believes that government agencies that regulate drugs should only test whether a drug is safe, not whether it is effective, before approving it for public use.
Info slide
Generally, government agencies, responsible for regulating drugs (for example the Food and Drug Administration, or the European Medicines Agency) rewuire that a new drug pass two different tests before being approved for public use. These seperate tests asses whether a drug is: First, 'safe", does the drug pose an unacceptable health risk? Second, 'effective", does the drug do what it claims to do?
Round 8International Relations
THBT NATO should unconditionally offer membership to the states of the former Soviet Union, excluding Russia
Round 9Ethics and Philosophy
TH regrets the commodification of indigenous cultures
Break rounds
Partial double-octofinalsSociety and Culture
THW abolish gated communities in the developing world
OctofinalsCrime and Justice
THBT Japan should shame its soldiers who participated in WWII, including those who did not commit war crimes themselves
QuarterfinalsEconomy and Work
THW auction off the long-term right to govern bankrupt cities for profit
SemifinalsSociety and Culture
THBT women should reject practices that alter the appearance of their genitalia, such as waxing and labiaplasty
Grand FinalInternational Relations
THBT India should adopt aggressive free market policies, including but not limited to deregulating of labour markets, allowing foreign investment and privatising state owned enterprises
Grand FinalInternational Relations
This house believes that India should adopt aggressive free market policies.
ESL break rounds
For speakers of English as a second language.
ESL QuarterfinalsEthics and Philosophy
THW remove all copyright protection for material deemed to be morally objectionable
ESL SemifinalsPolitics and Government
THBT Pope Francis should publicly encourage Catholics to support radically redistributive government policies
ESL FinalInternational Relations
THW allow countries to pay other countries to settle asylum-seekers who reach their borders
EFL break rounds
For speakers of English as a foreign language.
EFL SemifinalsSociety and Culture
THBT the gay rights movement should abandon the claim that sexuality is not a choice
EFL FinalSociety and Culture
THBT multinational companies should be liable for human rights abuses that occur anywhere in their supply chain
About WUDC
The World Universities Debating Championship, often called Worlds, is the largest debate tournament in the world. Hundreds of university teams debate in British Parliamentary style, with 15 minutes of prep for each motion.
Motions from the tournament's tab site. Prep notes are written by the Debatery Editing Team to help you start thinking; they are not the only way to run either side.