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Strengthen speaking, rebuttal, and debate strategy in this 2-week program for high school students on Georgetown University’s campus.
Course Description
A well-researched argument still has to reach the people listening. Your pacing, choice of words, and response to a challenge can change how it lands.
In this course you will practice turning ideas into persuasive speeches and debates. Short speaking games and low-pressure speeches let you test structure and delivery, then use focused feedback to try again. Build arguments from claims, reasons, and evidence. Map where your position is strong, where support is missing, and what the other side might say.
Cross-examination and rebuttal ask you to listen as closely as you speak. You’ll also consider a judge’s view: what makes an argument clear, logical, and fair? For a final team debate, research support, prepare roles, write questions and closings, and refine your approach through practice rounds. Every student contributes as a speaker, debater, or judge. The work gives you ways to organize and challenge ideas that carry into seminars and presentations.
This two-week course for high school students takes place at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. The program is developed by Georgetown University and offered in partnership with Summer Discovery. Residential and commuter options are available.
What You Will Do
• Shape short speeches around clear openings, evidence, and conclusions
• Test posture, eye contact, pacing, and tone
• Map claims, reasons, evidence, and possible counterarguments
• Develop rebuttals and cross-examination questions
• Judge a debate using a scoring template
• Research and rehearse for your final team debate
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Organize and deliver a persuasive speech for a defined audience
• Defend an argument with evidence while responding to counterclaims
• Evaluate debate using clarity, evidence, rebuttal, and listening
You’ll leave with your practiced speeches, debate materials and a certificate of completion.
Why Rhetoric Skills Matter
Making an argument forces you to decide what supports an idea and how another person might question it. Delivery choices help that reasoning reach an audience. Rebuttal and cross-examination add the challenge of responding to what someone actually said.
These habits matter in seminars, presentations, interviews, and civic discussion. Giving specific feedback and using it to revise also make practice more purposeful. You can carry that approach into future coursework and conversations where a clear explanation matters.
Who Should Attend?
For students who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade.
If you enjoy a good argument and want to make yours stronger, this course gives you room to work on both the case and the delivery. It also welcomes students who want more practice speaking to an audience. No formal debate experience is required.
You’ll speak in front of classmates, research issues, work with a team, and exchange feedback. Trying an opposing viewpoint is part of the challenge.
Recommended by More Than 4 out of 5 Students
Based on students surveyed in 2026 about Summer Discovery High School programs at Georgetown University campus.
Your Summer at Georgetown University
Studying on Georgetown University’s campus gives high-school students the opportunity to explore an academic interest while experiencing campus life in Washington, D.C. Its historic campus and surrounding neighborhood sit near embassies, institutions, and organizations that shape national and international conversations, giving the summer a distinctive sense of place.
Students learn alongside peers with similar interests, navigate a new environment, and gain independence through everyday choices and responsibilities. Time outside class helps students experience the broader rhythm of university life while considering what subjects, communities, and possible directions feel right for them. For families, the program offers a combination of substantive academic exploration, personal growth, and clearer insight into what a student may want to study or pursue next.
Summer Discovery Certificate of Completion
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive