Фи Kappa: История и современность литературного общества при Университете Джорджии.

The Phi Kappa Literary Society is a college literary society, located at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, and is one of the few active literary societies left in America. Originally founded in 1820, the society has disbanded several times and was and most recently refounded in 1991, remaining active since. It continues to hold regular meetings at Phi Kappa Hall on the University of Georgia's North Campus. The Phi Kappa Literary Society holds formal debates and a forum for creative writings and orations as well as poetry. and the Phi Kappa Literary Society currently shares use of the building with the Georgia Debate Union.

The Phi Kappa Literary Society has disbanded and reformed many times in its history. The first occurrence was in 1863 due to student enlistment in the American Civil War, which left only five members remaining. Meetings resumed on January 5, 1866. The society flourished in the early 1900s, participating in numerous collegiate debate competitions as well as sending members to compete in international collegiate debate contests. However, a drop in student enrollment due to World War II caused the society to disband again in 1944, and an extremely polarized atmosphere in the society and the university as a whole pulled the Phi Kappa Literary Society apart, seemingly for the final time, in 1973.

Each academic Thursday, Phi Kappa holds a pre planned debate centered around a resolution in the format of "Be It Hereby Resolved." Two pre selected speakers start off the debate with one speech in affirmation of the resolution and one in the negation. These speakers have seven minutes to attempt to deliver their speech while all subsequent speakers are limited to five minutes each. The president facilitates the debate, calling on each new speaker until the society is ready to vote. A majority vote of the society decides the winner of each debate. The society abides by Robert's Rules of Order for their meeting procedures.

Traditionally, each spring, a competitive debate is held between Phi Kappa and their rival society, Demosthenian. This long standing debate has roots reaching back at least to the 1920s, when it was known as the "Champion Debate." In the modern era, this debate takes a similar form as the Intrasociety Debate, with a team of five debaters from each society arguing for or against an agreed upon resolution. Each team provides alternating constructive, rebuttal, and summation arguments, and the winning team is determined by evaluation from a panel of judges, who are usually university faculty members.

In the spring, Phi Kappa holds the Phi Kappa Declamation, wherein members aim to give their absolute best possible speech from a list of pre selected topics. This is the most honored practice of the year, emphasizing impeccable rhetoric, writing, and floor presence of the speaker. The Declamation was first introduced in 1994, shortly after the refounding of Phi Kappa. It was previously known as the Alexander Stephens Declamation until Phi Kappa members voted to rename the event in 2019.

The Phi Kappa Literary Society often collaborates with other on campus and off campus groups to hold special events. In 2011, members of Phi Kappa participated in a debate versus the renowned Oxford Union, and in 2013, Phi Kappa sponsored a debate between the Communist Party USA and the Libertarian Party of Georgia. The Phi Kappa Literary Society also maintains a close relationship with The Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies at UNC Chapel Hill. Their closest tie to another student organization is their 202 year long rivalry with the Demosthenian Literary Society. Phi Kappa instead debated Georgetown's Philodemic Society in 2021 before renegotiating the intersociety agreement with Demosthenian and reinstituting the Intersociety Debate in 2022. Besides this competitive debate, the societies continue to meet for a non competitive Intersociety Meeting each fall.