To bridge the gap between broad philosophical claims about the value of forensics and actual current practices and experiences, the concept of the "total" forensic program offers critical components that are educationally valid with numerous advantages for participants and sponsoring departments. The total approach is defined as the most…

The idea of establishing some form of exchange among student debaters from the United States and the People's Republic of China (PRC) grew out of the participation of California State University (CSU) (Northridge) in the 1987 debates in Montreal between American and Canadian universities. Since CSU Northridge was in the process of expanding its…

This study examined the verbal message strategies employed in the two 1988 presidential debates by Vice-President George Bush and Governor Michael Dukakis, independently and comparatively. A number of broad verbal categories were developed to code the messages of each candidate from videotapes and transcripts. Verbal characteristics under…

A study investigated the level of black participation in the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) to discover means of increasing and improving black student involvement in forensic activities. Of 64 schools reporting that they compete in CEDA, only 22 reported having black debaters on the team. Additionally, these schools reported a total…

The paper disucsses the need for training in critical thinking and the effects of debate training across the curriculum as a teaching tool and learning mechanism. The debate training provided through the Oral Communication Program at Virginia's Radford University is described (design, implementation, results), along with data from a report on the…

To determine the level of participation by females in Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) debate tournaments in the Northeast region of the United States, a study examined gender characteristics of participants in seven regional tournaments in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, and in the New England…

A study examined the particular variables utilized in argumentative spots (political advertisements that attempt to tell the audience where the candidate stands on particular topics) of the 1984 GOP senatorial hopefuls, in an attempt to ascertain if any advantages were manifested in different commercial patterns in content and format of the ads…

The results of five studies of the relationship between debate training and critical thinking were examined to determine if in fact debate training improves critical thinking skills. All five studies compared the gains on the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Test (WG) for subjects who had received debate training with control groups who…

While covering various English language forensics activities in Japan, this special journal issue is heavily devoted to debate. The 22 articles in the journal are divided into five sections as follows: (1) general information on the Japan English Forensics Association (JEFA); (2) debate, including reports on debate tournaments around the world, a…

Designed to facilitate research, preparation, and presentation of arguments for the national debate topic, this manual summarizes trends in poverty over the past 24 years, examines reasons for changes in the rate of poverty, discusses demographic characteristics of the poverty population, and analyzes methods used to calculate the number of poor…

Debate paradigms, which at one time established standards to help judges evaluate arguments and rules to guide debaters' argument choice and strategy selection, no longer offer consistent guidance for either judges or debaters. An increased emphasis on creativity and flexibility has led to a general unwillingness to use a rigid debate format. The…

Based on 48 years of coaching experience, a midwestern university forensic coach offers the following suggestions for others involved in forensic activities: (1) the teacher must be well prepared; (2) the school system must be supportive of the program; (3) parents and the community should be informed of school activities; (4) the media should…

Noting that 1977 public opinion polls concerning the new Panama Canal treaties were interpreted as showing increased support for the treaties, this paper contends that this interpretation was erroneous and that the major outcome of the extensive polling was misleading data. The paper is divided into three major analytical sections. The first…

Designed to provide a general assessment of the rapidly growing applied humanities movement in the United States, this report sets forth issues found to be central to an assessment of current work in the applied humanities, presents a general survey of the nature of applied work in a variety of disciplines, and offers conclusions and observations…

Many students entering law school are surprised to find that the debating activities there (moot court, mock trial work, and trial advocacy courses) bear little resemblance to the debating they did at the undergraduate level. Those who teach, whether speech communication or prelaw, have an obligation to communicate to students the differences…