Doha Debates
From StudentOrganization
CMUQ consistently provides opportunities for students to be a part of the debates whenever they are held. Usually an email is sent out from the Office of Student Activities, and the "spots" are given on a first-come, first-serve basis available for both students and faculty/staff.
The Division of Student Affairs also has copies of the Debates on DVD, held in the Student Affairs Library in 1092. DVD's can be checked out through Marie Libunao.
What are the Debates?
Taken from the About page on the website:
"The Doha Debates are a public forum for dialogue and freedom of speech in Qatar.
They are chaired by the internationally renowned broadcaster Tim Sebastian, formerly of the BBC's HARDTalk programme, and held in the headquarters of the Qatar Foundation in Doha each month during the academic year.
For the past three years, the Doha Debates have been providing a platform for serious discussion of the hottest issues in the Arab and Islamic worlds, striving to be both controversial and informative. They have gained a huge international following through their broadcast on BBC World - the BBC's international television channel.
The Doha Debates are modeled on the Oxford Union debates. A motion is presented to the 350-strong audience and two speakers argue on behalf of the motion and two speak against it. Tim Sebastian questions the speakers on their positions, then opens the debate to questions from the audience. Finally, the audience votes for or against the motion, based on the merit of the arguments they have heard. Our invited speakers are highly regarded academics, politicians, religious figures, government officials, policy experts and journalists from around the world.
The Doha Debates are hosted and funded by the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development which is headed by Her Highness, Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al Missned, wife of the Emir of Qatar who is pioneering educational and social reform in Qatar.
Although a project of Qatar Foundation, the Doha Debates are independently run. The Doha Debates team retains full editorial control and is solely responsible for the content of the Debates and the speakers who are invited.
The audience of the Doha Debates is made up of people living or visiting Qatar who register for tickets via the Doha Debates website. About half the audience is comprised of university and senior high school students who study in Qatar but who come from a wide range of Arab countries and beyond. "
Students' Experience of the Debates
The Debates are held on a regular basis throughout the school year, roughly once every month. Carnegie Mellon has a certain number of students spots for each debate which are filled on a first-come first-serve basis. An announcement is sent out for each debate a few weeks in advance. For more information, please contact the Office of Student Activities.
