Tournament Structure

Center For Teaching International Relations

On the day of the WAC tournament, participants gather on the University of Denver’s campus for a full day of activities. WAC is made up of three different events, all of which are tabulated into a team’s score:

1. The Formal Presentation (FP) 60%

2. The Global Awareness Quiz (the Quiz) 20%

3. The Collaborative Question (CQ) 20%

Students work in teams of 6-10 for the Formal Presentation (FP), on an individual basis for the Quiz, and with their peers from other schools on the Collaborative Question (CQ).

The FP: Each team creates a 10-15 minute presentation/skit showcasing their research findings and related solutions. The FP must be international in scope and fall under one of the categories previously described. Students may present in any creative way that communicates an understanding of the topic’s complexities and proposes an achievable, sustainable solution. Teachers receive the scoring rubric for the FP to share with their students prior to the WAC. 60% of a team’s FP score contributes to the Overall team score.

The Quiz: Students have 30 minutes to complete the 50-question, mulitple-choice Global Awareness Quiz, which encompasses events, institutions, and people in the national and international news. Details about the Quiz, along with the sample questions, will be provided to teachers to help students prepare for the quiz.

This year, the Quiz will be completed online prior to the event day. The top individual scores are awarded, and the scores are averaged for the team, which contributes 20% to an Overall team score.

* Please note that there will be 2 different quizzes this year, one for middle school students and one for high school students.

The CQ: The Collaborative Question will be provided about one week before the tournament. (Samples of prior year CQs will be available on our resource site after Feb. 1) The 2011 CQ will be a fictional crisis, set in 2016 and developed on the basis of current global trends. On the day of the event students are assigned to new teams with peers from other schools. Each new team receives a "real world" question, simulation, or problem. The team must come to consensus on a response and present their answer and solution to judges. This portion of the day is more interactive between the students and judges, asking questions and having a dialogue with the students. The CQ process (about 30-45 minutes in length) helps young people synthesize knowledge and develop leadership skills. Students learn to work with others and listen to a variety of views as they work toward consensus. The CQ also provides a unique forum for them to engage in discourse with adults. Students receive an individual score for their contributions and effective teamwork and leadership, which flows back to their FP team (20% of an Overall team score) and each CQ team also receives a score.

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