Many administrators and educators have questioned the wisdom of establishing competitive goals for forensic programs. Many appear to believe that the acceptance of competitive goals necessarily leads to such abusive behavior as atheoretical teaching, the prioritizing of style over substance, the promotion of education shortcuts, and the…

The purpose of this paper is to create a guide for beginning coaches of the "communication analysis" event in forensics and to attempt to arouse interest in the activity. According to the paper, the American Forensic Association defines communication analysis as an original speech designed to offer an explanation and/or evaluation of a…

Presents an annotated bibliography of 33 items in the ERIC system on the subject of academic debate and forensics. Items surveyed cover the period 1970 to 1979 and reveal content and progression of thought. (JMF)

Transcript, editorial analysis, and critiques of the National Debate Tournament final debate between teams from Harvard University and Northwestern University are presented. (JMF)

The rhetorical abuse of language by creationists is discussed. Suggestions for how to expose such abuses in a discussion or debate format are provided. (CW)

Presents transcript, editorial analysis, and critiques of the National Debate Tournament final debate: resolved that U.S. law enforcement agencies should be given significantly greater freedom in the investigation and/or prosecution of felony crime. (PD)

Examines three strategies by which competitive debaters generate and organize their affirmative cases. Discusses how the persuasive writer can use these same three strategies as heuristics for deliberative discourse and as models for its organization. (HTH)

Presents analysis of argumentative discourse by students, revealing that it involves both dialogical and argumentative operations. Reports that dialogical and argumentative operations are functionally linked. Concludes that the percentage of markers of utterance involvement, axiological forms, and modalizations is much higher in argumentative…

The ability of debate coaches and instructors to define the goals of their activity is essential to any meaningful evaluation of success in achieving those goals. Much of the criticism of debate rests on the faulty assumption that coaches and instructors agree as to what they are trying to teach students. Numerous writers have addressed the…

Defining "information overload" as the condition that occurs when the amount of available information exceeds the ability of the user to process it, this paper contends that this condition has now affected the arena of academic debate. The first section of the paper examines the nature of overload and discusses its consequences on the…

Designed to serve as a framework in which high school debate students, coaches, and judges can evaluate the issues, arguments, and evidence concerning which agricultural policies best serve the United States, this booklet provides guidelines for research on the 1986-87 debate resolutions selected by the National Federation of State High School…

Uses the judicial model of reasoning employed by the Supreme Court as an exemplar in teaching critical skills in the basic argumentation and debate course. Describes the model and course highlights. (PD)

Examines mock trial exercises which are useful for providing students with experience in developing and judging argument and persuasive appeals. (MH)

Parliamentary procedure might best be taught in a context specific format; it would be better understood by students if not taught as a "stand alone" subject. Since the basic concepts of argumentation theory--propositions, stasis, and presumption and burden of proof--are reinforced by the rules of parliamentary procedure, instructors can…

Teaching the basic course in speech communication can be challenging in many ways. A class debate revitalizes the course, while offering an excellent means for evaluating learning at the end of a semester course. Proficient use of interpersonal skills is necessary to organize group members and control group discussion; sufficient knowledge of…