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Session Ideas

From SkeptiCamp

Given the breadth of skepticism (and science and medicine as well!) there should be no shortage of topics, covering not only introductory material, but also niche and cutting-edge subjects as well. But most importantly, do a talk on a topic that is important to you!

Contents

[edit] Collections of topics

Here you will find hundreds of topics, each of which can be approached from many different angles.

[edit] Miscellaneous topics

Each region has its own unique phenomena and strange claims. These should be on the short list of anyone looking to tackle a challenging topic for a skepticamp presentation. But as can be seen below, topics can stretch far and wide...

  • A Code of Conduct for Effective Rational Discussion
  • An introduction to the user-driven conference
  • Basics of Modern Skepticism
  • Pareidolia
  • Skepticism vs Denialism
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • A Tour of Logical Fallacies
  • A Tour of Cognitive Biases
  • Detailed exploration of a specific fallacy or bias
  • The Paradox of the False Positive
  • Critiques of Skepticism
  • Local investigations of paranormal or cryptozoological claims
  • Pseudoscientific products at your local drugstore and supermarket
  • Consumer scams against senior citizens
  • Pseudoscience in High-end Audio products
  • How to lie with Statistics/Charts/Graphs
  • Anti-vaccination and anti-fluoridation activities in your region
  • Creative Commons Licensing and what it offers
  • Magical thinking in the martial arts
  • Deconstructing an Urban Legend
  • Baseless fads in public education (Brain Gym, etc.)
  • Woo in veterinary medicine (pet acupuncture, etc.)
  • Demonstrate a dowsing test protocol
  • Techniques of photomanipulation
  • Travel scams
  • A little knowledge is a dangerous thing
  • Shame Them versus Try and Win Them Over
  • The Monty Hall Problem
  • Skepticism is not atheism
  • Exploiting a cognitive blind spot
  • The Crackpot Index
  • How to compensate for various biases
  • Poe's Law
  • Look to your own profession or your favorite hobby for ideas where you employ the tools of skepticism
  • Propose a regional auto tour of skeptic and woo-oriented sites, describing the itinerary
  • Investigate and present upon the different ways that people stumble upon the value of critical thinking and skepticism
  • The value and limitations of Occam's/Ockham's Razor
  • A visit to your local metaphysical fair
  • The Baloney Detection Kit
  • The Null Hypothesis and UFO claims
  • Skeptical Inquiry versus Debunking
  • The value and limitations of an informed consensus
  • At what point does a maverick researcher become a crank?
  • An examination of ghost-detection tools
  • An examination of energy-based healing claims
  • Claims about 'Orbs' and how to reproduce them
  • Drake's Plate of Brass
  • Principles of the American Cargo Cult -- the beliefs that make bad argument
  • Bigger numbers trick your mind into buying
  • (add new ones here)

[edit] Non-traditional presentations

Note that the skepticamp format supports non-traditional talks as well. We've seen demonstrations of Therapeutic Touch, skeptic trivia contests , collaborative talks, and presentations by paranormal investigators.

Sessions on non-skeptic topics might work, provided that they are well thought-out and adapted to the audience. If you are unsure, talk to the organizers of your event to see if they think it'd fit.

[edit] Reaching out

Don't hesitate to look outside the skeptic community for presentations that would be of interest. See the Nine Steps to Organizing document for more details on this important topic.

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