Are you interested in discussing social, moral and political questions?

The Debate Club Zürich is the debating society of ETH and the University of Zürich. We organise weekly debates, open to people of all levels and experience, and represent ETH and UZH at international debating competitions.

Past topics

• Should South Korea develop nuclear weapons?
• Should the keeping of pets be banned?
• Should the next James Bond be female?
• Is it immoral to have children?
• Does science need to have a use?

We also have a more extensive list of previously debated topics.

Competitions

We represent ETH and the University of Zürich at international competitions, primarily in the European debating circuit. If you are interested in making friends, travelling and winning debating competitions, please talk to us! Everyone is welcome to participate at competitions.

FAQs

• What happens during the weekly training sessions? We start with an workshop at 6.30pm. We then have a practice debate starting at 7pm, which includes personal feedback usually lasts until roughly 9pm. We then wind down over a drink at Bqm.
• Where can I find the latest information about club activities? Join our WhatsApp group, newsletter or contact us via the contact form. If you’ve never debated before, you can give us a heads-up and we will give you a quick introduction to the rules to get you started right away!
• What do I have to bring to a debate? No prior knowledge or preparation is required, but make sure to bring pen and paper. Don’t worry if you’re not familiar with debating formats or the political hot button issues of the day, we’ll teach you everything you need to know in our introductory workshops.
• Can I come in order to improve my English/German language skills? Of course! Debaters of all experience levels in both language and debating are welcomed. In the end, debating is about what you say, and not about how many fancy words you know.
• Do I have to register for the training sessions? No signup is required. You are always welcome to stop by, whenever and how often you want!
• Why should I start debating? People join for many reasons including to improve their public speaking and presentation skills, learn how to defend ideas and handle criticism, make friends with students across ETH and UZH, and to make friends in the wider international debating community.
• Is the Debate Club Zürich open to everyone? Our weekly practice sessions are primarily aimed at students of ETH and UZH. If you are not currently studying at these institutions and are interested in joining our sessions, please reach out to us over our contact form.