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Multi-week courseDebate formatShort course

The Debate: Capitalism vs. Socialism

Four weeks, assigned sides

Sides are assigned, not chosen. Students research, brief, and debate the case they were given, then switch and do it again.

Thomas Ward

Instructor

Mr. Thomas Ward

Economics, Logic & Entrepreneurship

New this term. Reviews from students and parents appear here once families have taken it.

Overview

A format course rather than a content course. The point is not to reach a verdict but to be able to argue either side accurately enough that an adherent would recognize it.

Ages & grades
Ages 14–18 · Grades 9–12
Live meetings
4 × 60 min
Cadence
Once a week · 4 weeks
Structure
Join any week · ungraded

Come and go as it suits you

Every meeting of this class stands on its own. Nothing in week six assumes week five, so a student can join in the middle, take the four weeks that fit around a busy month, and stop when they want to. There is no catching up to do, because there is nothing to be behind on.

That is also why there is no grade here and no such thing as an incomplete. The record keeps what actually happened: the meetings attended live and the recordings watched. A student who came to three meetings has a record of three meetings, not a failure.

What students will be able to do

  • Research and brief an assigned economic position
  • Anticipate and pre-empt the strongest counterargument
  • Debate under time constraint with evidence
  • Switch sides and argue the opposite case competently

Syllabus

  1. Week 1

    The briefs

    Sides assigned; research standards and source rules.

  2. Week 2

    First debate

    Constructive, cross-examination, rebuttal.

  3. Week 3

    The switch

    Sides reversed; new briefs written from the opposite premises.

  4. Week 4

    Second debate & verdict

    The rematch, then a written personal verdict with reasons.

Books & materials

  • Source packet

    Odysseus Lyceum

    Balanced source list supplied at no cost.

Prerequisites

None. Any student in the age range can enroll.

How this course handles its perspective

Explicitly two-sided. Neither position is presented as the correct answer; students are graded on argument quality alone.

Read our academic philosophy

Recording policy

Meetings are recorded and released to enrolled families for fourteen days. Recordings capture the instructor and shared materials; student video is not published.

Cancellation & refunds

Full refund up to seven days before the first meeting; inside seven days, everything paid is credited to your Lyceum balance. No refunds or credits once the class has begun. Cancel any section from your parent account.

Learner support

  • ADHD-aware instruction
  • Gifted & accelerated

These describe how this instructor has been trained, reviewed with educators and accessibility specialists. They are not a diagnosis and not a marketing claim.

Ratings & reviews

Students and parents review separately, on different questions, and the two aggregates are never blended. Every review is verified and moderated.

    No parent reviews for this class yet.

    Reviews from students are published as “Student, age 13”, never with a full name. Photo and short video reviews are supported and moderated before they appear.

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