Great to have Dr. John Patrick on the show along with Shane Patrick who are the founders and organizers of the Sustainability Summit, an educational event for university students that challenges them to work together to create powerful real-world solutions for issues facing public lands via the power of argumentation and debate.

In this conversation it might be easier to list what we don’t talk about, but the conversation is wide-ranging. We discuss the problems with tournament debate, what publication of the results of a debate event might look like, and the role of debate education in our moment.

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Welcome Tim back to the show and subscribe to his newsletter! Dr. Barr is a fantastic guest and we love having him on.

We talk about trauma-pedagogy debate, Jason Arday, collaborative debating, and much more!

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Visit Matt Stannard and COLAB debate here!

First of all, welcome to Dr. Sarah Evans who joins In the Bin after a very long and protracted negotiation process involving many agents, lawyers and other talent scouts. I hope she joins again soon!

On this episode I talk about how a recent, kinda-dumb AI image gave me a lot to think about and how I finally have reached the conclusion that although my interests in teaching debate and the tournament debate folks were never aligned, they are actually at cross purposes.

We also talk about AI in higher education. Sarah recently worked on AI scholarship in Brazil and has excellent perspective on AI in everything from grading to assignment design. We briefly talk about the recent MIT committee findings on AI and college assignments.

The Sophistic Take: Rhetoric, Debate, and Argument Today is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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Use the code PALAUT for 20% off Dr. Steve Llano's book How to Watch the Presidential Debates wtihout Losing It available at springer.com

This episode originally aired on July 27, 2017 and features a conversation with Dr. Cate Morrison, Debate Director at the University of Rhode Island, Aaron Dicker, Graduate student at Georgia, and John Patrick of Cal Poly.

Nearly all the links and references are broken after so many years so don’t expect any link mentioned to work!

Recycle Bin is a throwback where we comb the archives of In the Bin for the most interesting episodes from our audio wine cellar. Let us know if there’s an episode from the past you’d like to hear!

comments are welcome below or you can email us!

David and I spoke in January of 2026 about the influence (perhaps undue influence) of Artificial Intelligence on the art and pedagogy of rhetoric. It was great to catch up with him after so long. David and I crossed paths at the University of Pittsburgh when we were both studying in the communication department at the University of Pittsburgh.

Our conversation goes from the symbol of the American soldier to how we teach rhetoric when AI tools are pervasive and even pushed by university administration.

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The cancellation/elimination/dissolution (depending on the term you prefer) of the so called Four Cs conference (Conference on College Composition and Communication) was the most explosive rhetorical event of the summer. Let’s discuss why this might have happened and what the event portends for other conferences, like NCA.

In the Bin is back with VIDEO now, thanks to a big computer error. So enjoy! But if you enjoy the podcast really consider subscribing as it helps with the costs of making the show what it is.

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The Botta e Risposta debate format is familiar to any Italian student who has debated since the early 21st century. Now, three University of Padua students hope to make it a global phenomenon.

Based on philosophy and rhetoric (in that order!) the format hopes to reach every country in the world in a matter of just a few years. We talk about the current World Cup of Debate and look ahead to the live semifinals and finals to be held in Padua in November.

Have a listen and learn all about Italian debate that might soon be global debate!

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Show Notes:

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Botta e Risposta Instagram

The Botta E Risposta YouTube Channel - lots of example debates!

Website

High School debate has always faced existential challenges to its existence. Is AI anything different?

I am so pleased to welcome my friend Randall Martinez from Savannah Country Day School in Georgia. Randall serves as Director of Debate there and has a very insightful perspective on this! So happy to be able to chat with him about AI, politics, and other challenges facing school debate!

The Florida Debate Initiative

Florida Civics and Debate Initiative