Policy debate pedagogy: a complementary strategy for civic and political engagement through service-learning

National offices and organizations, such as the U.S. Department of Education and the Association of American Colleges & Universities, have called for higher education curriculum that better prepares students for lifelong civic engagement. Many institutions respond to this appeal by creating more service-learning opportunities for students. However, service-learning alone does not promote the political learning needed for students to have effective engagement. This essay explores the potential of policy debate to complement service-learning as a means of civic education. Policy debate improves civic education by furthering information literacy and critical reasoning skills beyond the classrooms.