Experience Required: Introductory
Appropriate for students with limited/no experience in subject
Program Affiliation
University of North Carolina
Acceptance Rate
Undisclosed
Duration
Varies by course (see website) Weeks
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Format
In-person
Cohort Size
Debate
Year Established
2012
Category
Debate
Important Dates
Early Registration
December 31, 2025
Regular Registration
May 31, 2026
Program Cost
Varies by course (see website)
The curriculum covers a focused range of legal topics — constitutional law and interpretation, criminal justice debates, the jury system, punishment for minors versus adults, victim rights versus prisoner rights, arrests and sentencing, and Supreme Court cases and controversies — delivered through a full-day schedule of lectures, guest speakers, group discussions, and off-site visits. The centerpiece of the program is a mock trial in which students serve as attorneys arguing a hypothetical criminal case, building practical advocacy skills alongside the conceptual framework. Academic programming runs from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays. The program is led by Visiting Professor of Law Charisma Howell.
Competitive speech events like Extemporaneous Speaking, Interpretation of Literature, and Original Oratory send students to the same national championships as debate — but almost no summer camps train them. ISD is one of the exceptions.
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