COMPETITIVE DEBATE: AN INTRODUCTIONESSENTIAL QUESTION – WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT EVENTS AVAILABLE IN COMPETITIVE DEBATE?

SPEECH AND DEBATE

• Events are split into two types

• Debate – attacking and defending a certain topic or various topics

• Policy, LD, PF, Congress

• Individual Events – Speech/Performance based competition versus others

• US/International Extemporaneous, Dramatic/Humorous/Oral/Duo Interpretation, Original Oratory

POLICY DEBATE – “TEAM DEBATE”

• One pair of debaters face off a second pair of debaters

• Affirmative – agrees with resolution

• Negative – Agrees with status quo

• Aff must come up with plan to solve for problems given in arguments

• Use evidence and statistics to prove side is correct

• Strict time limits – cannot go over time!

• Incredibly demanding and fast-paced

POLICY DEBATE

• Affirmative must present prima facie case – must make sense to everyday person

• Negative must poke holes in Aff. case to show it is not as concrete as it seems

• Aff. – burden of proof; Neg. – burden of rejoinder

• Topic same all year round

POLICY DEBATE TOPIC

•RESOLVED – The United States federal government should substantially increase its non-military exploration and/or development of the Earth’s oceans.

LINCOLN–DOUGLAS DEBATE – “LD”

• One debater faces off against another individual

• Topics involve logic, philosophy, ethics, and morality

• Value Premise – the value which the debater wants all arguments to be considered

• Value Criterion – how to measure the VP

LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATE

• Aff. – agrees with the resolution; Neg. – agrees with status quo

• Strict time limit

• Not as intense as policy, but more focused on philosophy

• Winner goes to person able to prove that logically he or she should win

• Topics change monthly

LINCOLN-DOUGLAS TOPICS – SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

•Varsity

•A just society ought to presume consent for organ procurement of the deceased

•Novice

•Civil disobedience in a democracy is morally justified

PUBLIC FORUM DEBATE – “PF”

• Newest event in competitive debate

• Team of 2 debaters compete vs. second team

• Topics are more relevant to everyday person

• Affirmative may NTO always go first

• Use a combination of logic, philospophy, evidence and/or statistics to prove case

• No burden on either side – whoever articulates arguments most effectively wins

• Very similar to televised debates (i.e. Crossfire)

• Topics change monthly

PUBLIC FORUM TOPIC – SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

•RESOLVED: On balance, public subsidies for professional athletic organizations in the United States benefit their local communities

EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING – “USX” & “IX”

• Competitor is given a question at competition

• He or she will have 30 minutes to research and create a 7-10 minute speech on the topic

• Using articles and research previously done beforehand

• Cannot research during competition

EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING

• Event questions are NOT given in advance

• Competitor must constantly research for most up-to-date information for speeches

• Student will speak only to judge and/or timekeeper

• Round is ranked by judge – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.

U.S. EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING - TOPICS

• What do new concerns over lethal injection mean for the future of the death penalty?

• What explains the US economy’s poor Q1 performance?

• Is NASA's Curiosity Mars rover delivering on expectations?

• Is Jeb Bush emerging as the GOP frontrunner?

• Is Obamacare doing better than expected?

• Is Barack Obama already a lame duck?

• Would raising the minimum wage successfully reduce poverty?

• Should the US continue to cut military spending?

• How is inequality in K-12 education affecting the United States?

• Should the NBA force Donald Sterling to sell his team? 

INTERNATIONAL EXTEMPORANEOUS - TOPICS

• How should Ukraine’s government respond to Russian separatists?

• Will sanctions against Russia achieve their goal?

• What is driving China’s problems with internal ethnic conflict?

• Has the world forgotten about Syria?

• What does the failure of peace talks with the Palestinians mean for Israel’s future?

• Will Thailand’s July elections ease or exacerbate political tensions?

• What is at stake in Iraq’s nationwide parliamentary elections?

• What are the greatest challenges facing the United States’ foreign policy toward Asia?

• Why are Dilma Rousseff’s approval ratings slipping?

• Why is violence overwhelming South Sudan? 

INTERPRETATION – “DI”, “HI”, “OI”, “DUO”

• Competitor recreates scene or reads literature for a judge

• Compete in flights – group settings up to 7 in a grouping

• Judging based on acting and recreation of scene

• Competitor MAY NOT USE PROPS OR MAKE-UP

• Movement space restricted to one-step in any direction

INTERPRETATION

• DI – Dramatic Interpretation; dramatic pieces w/o humor

• HI – Humorous Interpretation; scenes with humor

• OI – Oral Interpretation; dramatic or humorous reading of prose AND poetry – dependent on the round

• DUO – Duo Interpretation; dramatic or humorous scenes with a partner

RULES OF INTERPRETATION

• Time Limit – 7 to 10 minutes

• Editing extremely important for time restraints

• OI – Need both prose and poetry; alternate in each round

• Focus on tone of voice, facial expressions, body movement in small space

• DI/HI/DUO require memorization of the script; OI may have a folder with story and poem(s) in it

• Some authors/playwrights are off-limits (ex. – Neil Simon)

• Stay within time constraints – points can be deducted for going UNDER time

• Competitors are ranked at end of the round

ORIGINAL ORATORY

• Competitor competes against a group of other orators

• Competitor writes an original speech on any topic of his or her choosing

• Time limit – 7-10 minutes

• Judging based on content of speech and effectiveness of delivery

• Competitors ranked at end of round

STUDENT CONGRESS

• “House” competitors simulate a session of U.S. Congressional proceedings

• Competitors given a list of potential topics that can be debated in the session

• Competitor selects one side to argue for – use logic and facts

• Strict adherence to parliamentary procedure

STUDENT CONGRESS

• One competitor is selected as presiding officer – oversees the decorum of the chamber

• Presiding officer selects who will speak in the chamber

• Competitor can speak as often as the P.O. selects him or her to speak

• Judging based on effectiveness of speech – NOT ranked against other competitors directly

• Time limit – 3 minutes

• End of session – Up to 3 are nominated for best speaker

• Popular vote determines winner

• Usually 2 sessions in each chamber (morning/afternoon)

• MUST FOLLOW PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURES LAID OUT IN ROBERT’S RULES OF ORDER

WRITING A BILL/RESOLUTION

• Bill – Proposed law with executive force

• Resolution – Proposed suggestion; something that “should” happen, but has not executive force of law

• Competitors can submit bills and resolutions to be debated in chamber

• Writer will always given opportunity to speak first if in chamber

• After speaker delivers speech, rest of chamber is given opportunity to cross-examine

• 1 question per competitor

• Any topic can be “tabled” – put off from debate

• Must be motioned by chamber and passed by a vote of the chamber

• If not tabled, debate continues

• If tabled, move to next topic