LMU Communication Arts & Advocacy Program
The LMU Communication Arts & Advocacy Program (CAAP) exists to further the University’s mission toward the encouragement of learning, the education of the whole purpose, the service of faith and the promotion of justice. The CAAP welcomes all students to engage in intelligent, ethical, critical discussion with individuals of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives in a context of creative performance, collaboration, and competition.
The goal of the CAAP is to provide all LMU students with the opportunity to engage in public discourse, academic deliberation, social justice advocacy, and artistic expression. Within this framework, the CAAP has laboratories of public discourse that engage students to strengthen their skills in civic performance, research, rhetoric, teamwork, and leadership by facilitating participation in competition, civic engagement, service, and instruction.
Please contact Thomas Dowd at tdowd@lmu.edu for more information about getting involved with our program.
LMU Debate Program
Over the years Loyola Marymount University has proudly supported and sponsored the LMU Debate Program, which is part of the Communication Arts & Advocacy Program. The LMU debate program is an extension of the missions of the University, the College of Communication and Fine Arts, and the Department of Communication Studies, respectively. Our program projects the mission toward the encouragement of learning of education, the whole person, the service of faith and promotion of justice. Our program welcomes all undergraduate and graduate students to engage in intelligent, ethical, and critical discussion within a community of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives in a context of creative performance, collaboration, and competition. As part of the curriculum of the debate program participants are expected to engage, accept, and adapt to the diverse community which we all share.
The LMU Debate Program has a rich tradition in forensics. Over the years LMU debaters have participated internationally at World Championships providing our students with the opportunity to compete against the best debaters in the world. LMU teams have competed in intercollegiate completions placing first in over two hundred invitational tournaments in policy, value, parliamentary and Lincoln-Douglas debate, including the Women’s North American Debate Championship, Oxford, Cambridge, Pan America, Pan Pacific, and Hart House tournaments as well as national competitions including the USU, NPDA, and NDT National Championships, the HWS/IDEA Round Robin, Yale, Western Regionals, and the California Cup just to name a few.
The goal of the LMU Debate Program is to provide all LMU students with the opportunity to engage in the process and performance of argumentation and debate. Within this framework, the LMU Debate Program strives to give students opportunities to strengthen their skills in civic performance, research, rhetoric, teamwork, and leadership by facilitating participation in public discourse, academic debate competition, and service to the debate community. Our Program serves as a laboratory for students to express themselves creatively, to think, research, and argue critically, and to communicate and compete ethically and effectively in order to promote responsible citizenship, service and transformative social change.
Recent Accomplishments
- 2017 Pacific Southwest Forensic Association, Semifinalists
- 2016 Pacific Cup, Semifinalists
- 2016 Pan Pacific Championship, Semifinalists
- 2015 US Open National Champions
- 2015 Pacific Southwest Forensic Association Spring Champions
- 2014 North American Champions
- 2014 US Air Force Academy Champions
- 2014-2015 Hart House University, Finalists
- 2013 Oxford Champions
- 2013-2015 US National Championship, Finalists or Semifinalists
- 2013 Lafayette Debate Champions
- 2012 NDT Semifinalists