Good Practices

U!REKA Debates (Frankfurt UAS, HOGENT, IPL)

The course “We Need to Talk! Arguments – Perspectives – Current Controversies. U!REKA Debates”, offered at Frankfurt UAS and HOGENT, later also at IPL, integrates a fully digital format with team teaching, international collaboration, and interdisciplinary topics, all through the medium of structured debates.

The course is designed to address how education for sustainability can be implemented in a transnational learning environment. Debating, which requires the exploration of multiple perspectives, is central to this goal. The digital format allows for the inclusion of external experts and international partners. The course begins with an introduction to debating, led by Jens Henning Fischer, President of the German Debating Society. This session covers both theoretical concepts and practical exercises to familiarize students with debate techniques.

Subsequent sessions focus on the theme of “Dominance”, where students engage with materials such as the documentary “The Post-Racist Planet” and learning videos covering topics like dominance in urban planning and economics. These videos, produced by instructors from both universities, are available with subtitles in both German and English to ensure accessibility. The materials are provided alongside weekly tasks and reflection exercises designed to support students throughout the course.

In synchronous online sessions, students work in small groups to apply different pedagogical methods such as think-pair-share and develop arguments for debate questions like “Should participation in urban planning be bypassed for renewable energy projects?”. Breakout sessions and digital collaboration tools help structure the students’ work, and the debates themselves follow the Oxford format, with arguments presented by pro and contra groups, and evaluated by a student jury.

This course is part of the “Interdisciplinary General Studies” module, a required component for all bachelor students at Frankfurt UAS, and aims to develop interdisciplinary thinking and collaboration. The flexibility of the course design allows for future expansion, with plans to include additional institutions. The content can be adapted by adding new thematic elements or revising existing ones.

U!REKA Debates: https://www.ureka.eu/shared-content/news/news/2022/12/ureka-debates.html