An assessment of college forensics projects. (CH)

Intended for use by instructors of upper division speech courses, this paper describes a questioning and answering technique for teaching argumentation. The first section of the paper discusses the concept of argumentative exchange, which is defined as an episode between two or more individuals wherein one or more feel that differences of belief…

A survey was conducted of students participating in the 1982 Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) tournament to uncover the reasons why they were competing in CEDA, whether they had ever participated in the National Debate Tournament (NDT), and which style of debate they preferred. Of the 133 respondents, 83 males and 50 females, 42%…

Nonverbal displays of status are often employed in argumentative interactions for the purpose of securing an advantage over an opposing speaker. These displays can be conceptualized as "implicit ad hominem fallacies" because, like all ad hominem arguments, they shift the focus of attention away from the substantive issues in dispute to…

The development of a sound theory of the arguing of policy questions in debate requires that the Affirmative be obligated to demonstrate the solvency of its plan, regardless of the paradigmatic origins of the case theory. While the specific degree of demonstration which is necessary to establish solvency remains a substantive issue within the…

Rules and regulations for debate and individual speech event activities are provided in this guide, which is designed for use by members of the Michigan Interscholastic Forensic Association (MIFA). The guide contains (1) a calendar of speech events, (2) regulations governing event participation and conduct, (3) school membership requirements, (4)…

A study was designed to examine debater characteristics in terms of perceived social style (assertiveness and responsiveness) and to explore the effects of debater social style in terms of perceived substantive and interpersonal conflict and debate success. Measures of perceived assertiveness, responsiveness, social style, and conflict were…

After 750 combined hours of analysis, the authors discovered major verbal and nonverbal communication differences between the candidates in the three Ford/Carter debates. The research was based on an analysis of 7,378 specific nonverbal behaviors and on 955 verbal references found in the 30,852 word transcripts. The researchers found differences…

All of the television camera shots in the three Ford/Carter presidential debates were studied according to type, frequency, and duration to determine whether the images presented by the camera could have influenced the audience's perception of the candidates. According to the debate rules, each candidate was allowed three minutes to answer a…

This issue of the "Free Speech Yearbook" contains the following: "Between Rhetoric and Disloyalty: Free Speech Standards for the Sunshire Soldier" by Richard A. Parker; "William A. Rehnquist: Ideologist on the Bench" by Peter E. Kane; "The First Amendment's Weakest Link: Government Regulation of Controversial…

Developed for a high school quinmester unit on discussion and debate, this guide is designed to help students learn the elements of good discussion and informal debate in a classroom atmosphere emphasizing the democratic process. Performance objective for the course include compiling information for classroom discussions and informal debates,…

The focus on this two-part document is the background information illuminating the underlying issues of the 1974-75 National High School Debate Resolutions. Within the general category of the problems of political reform, the specific problem area is stated as "How can the federal political system best be improved?" The three debate…

Little empirical research has been done on the subject of argumentation, especially in the area of refutation, or "disproof," even though some research on debate indicates that refutation constitutes a significant predictor of a team's success. A recent study investigated the effects of eight forms of refutation against five major categories of…

Variations in scoring and feedback provided by professional and nonprofessional debate judges were studied using 197 ballots from the six preliminary rounds of the Big Sky Intercollegiate Forensic Tournament in 1971. Results indicated no significant difference in the sides (affirmative or negative) awarded the decision by the two groups of judges.…