The objective of this course is to expose its students to urban education and youth development and train them to be effective mentors and positive role models to urban youth. In the process, students will gain a working knowledge of logic and deployment of philosophical arguments such as utilitarianism in inner-city debate programs. To this end, students will work closely with staff of the Bay Area Urban Debate League (BAUDL), a local non-profit organization that works with Bay Area school districts to create and maintain debate teams at inner-city schools, where traditional educational mobility is particularly constricted. Participants will study and gain experience in working with urban youth, supporting veteran urban educators, and applying philosophy and logic to policy problems and solutions. The course is worth 2 P/NP units.

A quick summary of how to pass this course:
Attendance: Meetings will be held once every 2 weeks over the course of the semester, for a total of 8 meetings. Each meeting will typically last 2 hours. Because meetings are infrequent, attending each one is crucial. More than two unexcused absences will result in a failing grade.

Readings: Students are expected to complete the assigned readings each week before class. These readings will serve as important foundations for class discussions and work with BAUDL students.

Reflection Paper: A short (2-3 page, double spaced) paper will be due on the last class meeting. This paper should reflect on some aspect of the students’ experience with the BAUDL and relate those experiences to one or more of the course readings.