Stanford National Forensic Institute

The three week Accelerated Program provides the same high quality seminars and lectures of the Core curriculum, but with an incredible student to staff ratio of 6:1. This allows the Accelerated Program to guarantee unusually strong personal attention to students during argument construction and discussion, while allowing the a continued focus on in-round technique and strategy.

Three lab options are available for the Accelerated Program (scroll down to read more about each lab option):

• Regular Three-Week Accelerated Program

• Swing Lab

• Sophomore Scholars Lab

Regular Three-Week Accelerated Program

The SNFI strongly believes in the value of personalized debate instruction. Students have ample opportunity for one-on-one consultations with their instructors repeatedly during the camp. This continuous personal attention results in real improvement and a more sophisticated understanding of the upcoming topic. In addition, the low student to staff ratio helps ensure that each student in this program receives several more expertly critiqued practice round than Core Program participants, many utilizing stop-and-go techniques which allow for instantaneous feedback from our faculty. These extra practice debates late in the summer helps students become far more prepared to participate in the competitive season.

The Accelerated program will feature groups led by a balanced and talented staff. Accelerated students will receive a disc of all evidence produced at the camp as well as paper copies of all negative evidence and all affirmative evidence produced in their lab.

Swing Lab

The Stanford Swing Lab program is the finest academic preparatory program available for advanced policy debate students. The program is designed to provide a continuation of participants’ prior camp experience, with an advanced peer group and the best instructors. Depending upon enrollment, multiple labs may be part of the Swing Lab program. The Swing Lab program will be led and taught by one of our most talented and experienced instructors, jon sharp. Students will be placed with others of similar experience levels. To be eligible, students must be varsity level and must have previously attended at least one rigorous debate institute during the summer of 2009. The Swing Lab program has a phenomenal track record: the 1994 - 2008 graduates advanced to elimination rounds at every major national circuit tournament and have twice won the Tournament of Champions, twice won the Glenbrooks, and won MBA, Stanford, Berkeley, and other major tournaments. The Swing Lab program is part of the SNFI Accelerated Program, and as such participants will enjoy the incredible 6:1 student to staff ratio.

Expertly Critiqued Debates: Swing Lab students will participate in a rigorous series of approximately eight expertly critiqued practice debates; these debates begin on the second day of the camp with an emphasis on stop-and-go rounds and rebuttal rework debates.

Research, Evidence and Topic Inquiry: The Swing Lab program provides intensive instruction in argument construction and advanced level technique. Students will gain expertise in the upcoming policy debate topic. The arguments produced by other institutes will be used by program participants to construct detailed positions which will include extension blocks.

Advanced Theory: Students will be immersed in advanced theory through special seminars that offer unique and competing views on a variety of issues from the cutting edge of current theoretical discourse.

New additions to this summer’s swing lab include:

• A round-robin style tournament within the lab

• A new twist on the evidence production process aimed at both augmenting files/ arguments and innovating new strategies.

• A new judge mentoring program designed to give students a new perspective

To Apply to the Swing Lab: Students desiring to attend the Swing Lab program will be admitted on an application basis only, and are required to attend at least one rigorous debate institute during the summer of 2009 prior to attendance at the SNFI. One-week camp participants will be considered only with a strong recommendation from their instructors. Depending on enrollment there may be more than one Swing Lab. Swing Lab placement is based on experience and is at the discretion of the program directors.

Sophomore Scholars Lab

Returning for the summer of 2009 is our Sophomore Scholars Lab. This lab is designed for rising sophomores to make the leap from novice to junior varsity or varsity debate. Led by veteran instructor Judy Butler, the lab will focus on extended, heavily critiqued practice debates and step-by-step instruction of the evidence production process. For the same cost as our accelerated program, students will enjoy the 6:1 student to staff ratio designed to grant each student maximum personalized attention from our highly knowledgable teaching staff. Practice debates will all be stop-and-go and will be alloted 3-4 hours each to maximize extensive critique. The evidence production process will also be given extra time to ensure that students leave the camp with a thorough understanding of the necessary steps to producing a quality, debate-ready file.

Admission to this lab is highly selective and is first-come-first- serve. Please select the Sophomore Schoalrs option on the application to be considered for admittance.