Tomorrow (Sept. 27), two members of Cal State Fullerton’s forensics team will deliberate forgiveness with teenage members of the iDebate Rwanda team.
To prepare for the campus debate, Titans Gabe Botello and Agnes Lee have researched and prepared arguments to defend the negative side of the debate topic “In the aftermath of genocide: Forgiveness is more important than justice.” Their iDebate Rwanda opponents are 16 and 17 years old.
CSUF is among universities, colleges and high schools in 15 states included in a three-month United States tour for the iDebate Rwanda group of two students and three chaperones, including Jean Michel Habineza, who founded the group in 2012. The guests are staying with university President Fram Virjee and his wife, Julie, and will tour the campus, visit local beaches, and attend the university’s Saturday, Sept. 29, Concert Under the Stars.
The 1 p.m. public event will be held in the Scott O’Brien Innovation Center, Room 3230 of Mihaylo Hall.
“The experience brings together two important concepts stressed in our department: advocacy and intercultural communications,” said Erika Thomas, assistant professor of human communication studies, and director of the forensics program. “This unique opportunity exposes our speech and debate team members, and a wider CSUF public audience, to global issues and highlights the various cultural differences in approaches and ideas that accompany dialogical activities with individuals from another country.”