Classical Studies Events

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[PAST EVENT] Raft Debate - A W&M Tradition

October 28, 2024
6:30pm
Location
Sadler Center, Commonwealth Auditorium
200 Stadium Dr
Williamsburg, VA 23185Map this location
Access & Features
  • Free food
  • Open to the public
  • Registration/RSVP
graphic showing setting sun with palm trees and silhouettes of 5 people

Join us for the return of the Raft Debate, a W&M tradition! 

A judge presides but the audience decides... who will survive for the sake of humanity? 

Described as a "delicate balance of comedy and lecture", the annual Raft Debate features four W&M faculty members from diverse disciplines, stranded on a desolate island with only a one-person life raft for escape to civilization. Which faculty member should survive for the sake of humanity? Based on the volume of applause, the audience chooses the sole survivor as the professors cajole, plead, pontificate, and resort shamelessly to props and costumes.

Faculty participants represent the Humanities, the Social Sciences, and the Natural, Physical and Computational Sciences. The Devil's Advocate, who argues sarcastically that none of the academic disciplines are worth saving, has on occasion emerged victorious.

Free and open to all. Reception to follow. Click More Information to learn more, view clips of previous Raft Debates, and RSVP. 


Sponsored by: Arts & Sciences