Through the lens of a first-time participant of the Committee on International Discussion and Debate Tour of the United Kingdom and Portugal in 1997, this autoethnography examines the values of the debate tour experience from my unique standpoint. Having been in competitive speech and debate for eight years at that point – from high school through college – the debate tour challenged many of my assumptions about the activity and my perspective on speech and debate as an experiential learning platform. Specifically, I examine the experience of being on the tour through the identity lens of a Latino debater and …

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International Students In Early American Forensics: Notes On The History Of The U.S.-Japan Forensics Relationship During The Late 19th And Early 20th Centuries, Satoru Aonuma, Junya Morooka, Tomohiro Kanke Feb 2026

International Students In Early American Forensics: Notes On The History Of The U.S.-Japan Forensics Relationship During The Late 19th And Early 20th Centuries, Satoru Aonuma, Junya Morooka, Tomohiro Kanke

Studies in Debate and Oratory

Ending 215 years of “national seclusion,” in 1854, Japan ratified the Treaty of Amity and Commerce with the United States and opened its doors to the rest of the world. Because of this special bilateral relationship, between the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, more Japanese began traveling to the U.S. than to any other country. Focusing on young Japanese who went to the U.S. as students and participated in debate and oratorical education during this period, this essay will re-examine the history of the U.S.-Japan relationship in terms of academic debate and oratory. During this period, American …

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