high school debate activities

Class Debate
Students will form two teams to debate the Church's call to responsible citizenship and the moral obligation to participate in the political process. One team argues in favor of civic engagement viewed through the lens of faith and the other team presents reasons why religion and politics shouldn't mix.

Mock Election
Students choose a national or local election. Candidates are analyzed on the basis of Catholic social teaching and the issues presented in the Bishop's statement. Campaign signs, debates, and literature focus solely on the candidate's stands on issues relevant to Catholic social teaching.

Candidate Debate
Students choose a national or local candidate and portray that candidate in a mock classroom debate. Questions for the candidates are focused solely on issues raised by the bishops and those flowing from the principles of Catholic social teaching.

Issue Debate
Students choose a national or local public policy issue and take different sides of the debate. Each side presents its case in light of Catholic social teaching.