Members of the British national debate team will square off with representatives of the UNL speech and debate team on Nov. 17 on the topic of social media and creativity.

The debate, “Are Social Media a Threat to Human Creativity?” is sponsored by the Department of Communication Studies and the Center for Civic Engagement. It begins at 7 p.m. at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, 301 N. 12th St., and is the third event in the 2014-15 E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues series.

Carly Woods, assistant professor of communication studies at UNL, will deliver a pre-talk at 6:30 in the Lied’s Steinhardt Room.

The event promises to be educational and entertaining for those interested in communication, civic engagement, international relations and global politics.

This year’s Thompson Forum theme is “The Creative World,” which explores creativity’s impact on people and societies and examines the question of how creativity can change our culture and planet for the better.

Renowned for their wit, humor and eloquence, members of the United Kingdom’s English-Speaking Union tour the United States each year, debating the best and the brightest at institutions of higher learning. The list of tour alumni includes a British prime minister, a leader of the opposition, an archbishop of Canterbury, and many senior politicians, journalists and businesspeople.

British debaters include Kate Brooks and Alice Coombes Huntley. Brooks is a postgraduate student at the University of Oxford and is a consultant researcher for the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia. She is head of competitive debating at the Oxford Union. Coombes Huntley is a recent University of Bristol graduate who has won three national competitions.

UNL debaters include communication studies doctoral students Adam Blood and Jonathan Carter. Blood, a native of Joplin, Mo., is a coach for the UNL debate team. Carter, originally from Denver, is in his 10th year coaching speech and debate. The event will be moderated by Aaron Duncan, director of UNL’s speech and debate team.

The debate is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. Ticket information can be found at http://enthompson.unl.edu/ticket.shtml. The event will also be streamed live at http://enthompson.unl.edu and will be available on Lincoln digital cable Channel 80 or Channel 99 on analog cable, UNL campus Channel 8 and UNL’s KRNU radio (90.3 FM).

The E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues is a cooperative project of the Cooper Foundation, the Lied Center and UNL. It was established in 1988 with the purpose of bringing a diversity of viewpoints on international and public policy issues to the university and people of Nebraska to promote understanding and encourage debate.