English debating team 5 février

The function of this workshop is to utilize the topic or thematic of “Woke” or “Wokeism” as a
stage for a discussion and debate. The dichotomy of “Enlightenment” or “Estrangement” sets the
stage for this discussion within a French context. The hope is to provide a lens into the history of
“Woke” from Erykah Badu’s first popularization of the term in her song, “Master Teacher” to the
more recent denigrations of the term from the Far Right. Through this thematic, we will teach the
fundamentals of argumentation, debate, and rhetoric offering perspectives from many sides on the
history and contemporary transformation of the term. We will read and discuss articles/essays,
study rhetorical devices and methods of argumentation, as well as learn and practice the structure
and model of the French Debate Association as a means of discovering students interested in
participating in the Paris-Nanterre Debate Team going forward. This workshop will prepare
students for the “negative” connotation of being associated with “Wokeism” and get students who
would like to join the debate team ready with counterarguments regarding “Wokeism” from any
other debate team or persons they may encounter along the way.