Debate club for medics in English: initiative from UMSA Uzhhorod
It is a common and completely wrong idea that debates should only be used in politics, philosophy or law. In fact, debates are a great opportunity to demonstrate your oratory skills, apply knowledge and be inspired by ideas from meaningful discussions, and the art of debate is important in every professional sector, as they help to find answers to dilemmas, discuss important issues and look at things from a different angle.
The Ukrainian Medical Students Association (UMSA) in Uzhhorod initiated the creation of a medical debate club under the leadership of Diya Devgun and Сhhaya Rana in English. The debates were held at the Medical Faculty of Uzhhorod National University, where foreign and Ukrainian students took part in intellectual discussions.
The event was built in the style of the British Parliament, required a good level of English, and most importantly, a desire to learn something new. The focus of its participants was on discussing three ethical issues:
- Is it ethical to legalize the sale of human organs?
- Should animal testing in medicine be completely banned?
- Should abortion be legalized worldwide, regardless of cultural and religious beliefs?
The students noted that this was their first time participating in the debate, and the main motivation for this was to contribute to their professional future, socialization, and improving their professional qualifications. In addition, the future doctors emphasized that they were interested in the topic of the discussions and as well as in learning the opinions of other students on these ethical dilemmas.
The head of the Department of Family Medicine and Home Care of the Medical Faculty No. 2, Pavlo Kolesnyk, and the Senior Lecturer in the Department of Applied Linguistics, Antonina Bulyna, were invited to serve as arbiters of the debate. They recognized the importance of organizing such debates, especially among medical students and foreign students.
“A few years ago, students from India were shy and worked exclusively in their groups,” shared Pavlo Kolesnyk, “but today we saw real international cooperation, team spirit, and a thirst for knowledge. I am glad to see that Ukrainian and international students are establishing closer ties and starting to work together.”
Antonina Bulyna noted the participants’ preparation for the debates: “The students were confident, clear, used their voice, gestures and intonation to draw attention to their arguments. It was difficult to choose the best team, as everyone did a great job.”
The winners of the debates were Team 1, which included Kirtana, Yulia and Vignesh. The event ended with a group photo and a discussion of the experience in English.
In the meantime, Uzhhorod National University is planning to organize the following events.
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