Presents listings covering history and practice of argumentation, theory of argumentation, scholastic forensics, experimental studies, interpersonal conflicts, political campaign communication, and articles of general interest. (JMF)

Two high school teachers consider the use of and misuse of the term "sexism," the efficacy of using such a term and its connotations, and the need to fight social inequities with both words and actions. (RL)

Discusses children's books which have caused controversies pertaining to ethnic stereotyping, labeling, sex instruction, and offensive language, and maintains that controversy is beneficial in that it keeps librarians aware of children's interests. (FM)

Civility can encourage educational debate, but it does not assure that the debate itself is of great intellectual value. (LH)

Introduces the technique of analyzing issues underlying distinctions (IUDs) by applying the method to adult education definitions. Discusses IUDs as metaphors. (SK)

Takes issue with Reed Way Dasenbrock's criticism of literary theory and the terms under which literary interpretation and discussion take place. Presents Dasenbrock's reply, which discusses his understanding of certain terms (evidence, truth, debate), his description of the problem, and the logical contradictions he finds internal to…

Continues a debate begun at the Annual Meeting of the American Education Research Association (AERA) concerning whether a novel should count as a doctoral dissertation for students in education. Contains introductory remarks by the moderator, Robert Donmoyer, and an extended debate among presenters and audience members at the 1994 and 1996…

Presents a transcript of a conference call between Bart Kane (Hawaii State Librarian and advocate of the Hawaii/Baker & Taylor outsourcing plan) and Patricia Wallace (chair of the American Library Association's Hawaii Working Group formed to examine details of the plan) who debate the merits of Hawaii's model of outsourcing collection…

Focusing primarily on public libraries in the state of Washington, this article examines the public debate over unrestricted access to the Internet, the Communications Decency Act, censorship, the use of blocking software, privacy screens, and restrictions by age on Internet use. (PEN)

Explores the worth of high impact/low probability arguments as "real world" policy arguments. Evaluates four National Debate Tournament (NDT) final round disadvantages by students using the subjective probability model. Finds that although NDT disadvantages were perceived to be a technically sound form of argumentation, they were not…

Discusses how an examination of the 1988 Presidential Debates offers important insights for debate coaches and participants, noting that weaknesses in the debates highlight debate community values. Urges debate coaches and critics of public argument to use the links between those two roles, and make more contributions to public arguments. (MM)

Farm organizations and environmental groups have often disagreed over ways to keep American agriculture productive while protecting the environment that nurtures that productivity. This article identifies differing opinions and where they might converge. (LZ)

Presented in the form of a debate and rebuttals are both sides of the issue, first stated by Lord Brougham in 1820, of a client's legal and moral rights to his counsel's total support. It is concluded that advocacy in law does not carry some special authority or excuse the lawyer from accepting moral responsibility for his professional choices.…

Presents results of a survey of CEDA coaches and debaters indicating high levels of gender harassment, seductive behavior, and sexual imposition in the CEDA debate community. (SR)