A Brief History

Penn Debate Society (PDS) was founded in 1984 as the Penn Parliamentary Debate Society, and is the premier debate association on campus.

Our Competition

We compete primarily on the American Parliamentary Debate Association (APDA) and British Parliamentary (BP) circuits. At tournaments, we compete against teams from the rest of the Ivy League, as well as Stanford, UChicago, Swarthmore, Georgetown and other top colleges across the country. Our topics of discussion range from philosophy, to military strategy, to pop culture. We enjoy sending our teams to the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC), where our teams have done exceptionally well in the past.

“PDS is a top-flight debate team and a diverse group of scholars. But more importantly, we are a family.”

Our Family

Being a part of PDS is more than just being a part of a team, it’s about joining a caring community of like minded intellectuals who know how to have fun. We have comprehensive mentorship opportunities for all aspects of live, and regular social events throughout the year for our members. Once a PDS member, you are always a valued member of the family.