Teaching staff of the Institute of History at the University of Lodz played the role of judges and experts, who supported the participants with their knowledge and experience. Special thanks are due to Prof. Anna Kowalska-Pietrzak, Head of the Institute of History, and the team:
- Dr Joanna Maj
- Dr Ilona Florczak
- Dr Małgorzata Łapa
- Dr Sławomir L. Szczesio
- Dr Kamil Piskała
- Dr Bartosz Kaczorowski
Their commitment contributed significantly to the high standard of the event.
I have participated in such an event for the first time – as a judge in a historical debate competition, attended by a dozen or so teams from highs schools. I am impressed by the preparation of the youth for the discussion of events from several decades ago and their intellectual curiosity. I was positively surprised by the level of historical knowledge of the participants, their ability to argue logically and the culture of discussion. They asked difficult questions, presented interesting opinions on the realities of the era and showed real interest in this complex period of our history. I congratulate all the participants and it is a deeply edifying experience for me
– underlines Dr Sławomir L. Szczesio
The competition gathered 11 high school teams from Kutno, Łowicz, Lodz, Ostrzeszów, Płock, Tomaszów Mazowiecki and Wieluń. Many of the participants have visited our faculty for the first time, gaining not only the opportunity to present their rhetorical skills, but also to get familiar with the atmosphere of academic life.
The competition, based on the Oxford debate formula, was to develop argumentation skills, logical thinking and looking at history from different perspectives. This year, students debated the following theses:
- Workers' strikes in the Polish People's Republic were primarily economic protests.
- The period of Edward Gierek's rule is rightly called the "golden decade" of the Polish People's Republic.
- The communist period fostered the empowerment of women in social life.
- The political changes in Poland in 1989 were primarily the result of the geopolitical situation, not the internal situation.
- History lessons at school should primarily teach about the history of Poland.
The winner was the team from the Władysław Jagiełło High School in Płock, which will represent the Lodz region during the national finals in the Sejm of the Republic of Poland in June. Congratulations!
Information and photos: Promotion Centre, Faculty of Philosophy and History, University of Lodz