[Photo Story] Expanding Minds Through Questions: Scenes From the 8th 퍼스타 토토 Debate Competition

Expanding thinking through questions The 8th 퍼스타 토토 Debate Competition

2025-06-20     Lee, Hyoung-min translator

On May 30, the 8th Havruta Debate Competition took place at the International Conference Room on the 6th floor of the Paiknam Library & Academic Information Center at Hanyang University’s Seoul Campus. The Havruta Debate is a discussion-based competition where participants engage in conversations and pose questions grounded in a designated book. Let’s take a look at the thought-provoking scenes from the event, where questions sparked ever-deepening dialogue.

Expanding perspectives through questions: 퍼스타 토토 Debate

▲ Jung Jin-gyu (Department of Sociology, 3rd year) gives a presentation on the designated book Stolen Focus.
▲ A questioning team listens to the presentation team’s response while preparing for the next round of discussion.
▲ Debate participants and the audience panel attentively follow the presentations.

Havruta is a traditional Jewish method of learning centered around learners engaging in dialogue. Reading Havruta applies this approach to books—students read, pair up, and explore each other’s perspectives through structured exchanges. Unlike competitive debate, Reading Havruta focuses on enhancing listening skills and logical reasoning.

The 8th 퍼스타 토토 Debate

▲ Professor Kang Min-kyung from the College of Humanities served as the moderator for the 8th 퍼스타 토토 Debate Competition.
▲ The grand prize was awarded to the team “Undercover Police.”
▲ The “Three Slices of Pizza” team won the Excellence Award, and “Focus 404” received the Merit Award.

The Havruta Debate Competition is part of the Hanyang University Reading Festival and has been held annually since 2018. This year’s designated books were Stolen Focus by Johann Hari and Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Out of all participants, only three teams were selected to advance to the finals as presenting teams. Each team gave a 7-minute presentation, followed by a 15-minute Havruta-style discussion with the questioning teams.

A forum for dialogue co-created with the audience panel

▲ An audience member joins the discussion through an open 퍼스타 토토 session.
▲ All audience panel members received a Hanyang University eco-bag, pen, and snacks as souvenirs.
▲ Participants, audience members, and judges pose together for a commemorative group photo.

In addition to the questioning and presenting teams, audience panelists contributed to the discussion, enriching the event further. How about experiencing the power of questioning for yourself at the next 퍼스타 토토 Debate?