A study was conducted to begin the process of determining the preferences of coaches and/or teams for attending specific national debate tournaments. Ninety-six respondents participated in the study either through an oral survey or a follow-up questionnaire administered at two different national tournaments. The subjects included the directors of…

Despite literally tens of thousands of rounds of debate competition over a number of years, little insight into argumentation theory has resulted. Debate as practiced by college debating teams has become a laboratory for perfecting itself. Permitting the divergence of debate from argumentation forfeits an ideal opportunity to study argumentation.…

The judging philosophy statements of most of the judges at the 1987 National Cross Examination Debate Association Tournament are contained in this booklet. A short form on each judge details how long they have been judging and how many rounds of debate on the topic of the tournament they had previously judged. A longer form asks for information…

The purpose of this study is to show how American Catholic bishops go about preparing a pastoral letter on a public issue. The actual preparation of a pastoral letter includes a number of complicated issues. The first two chapters provide background on the bishops' current letter. "Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy," tracing…

A study investigated the speaking habits of the general public from the Albany, Schenectady, and Troy (New York) area in the spring and fall of 1984. Student interviewers completed interviews with 478 residents 18 years or older to find out how many times the respondent had given speeches in the past two years and under what circumstances. The…

The communications of suffragist Lucy Stone illustrate the changes that the growth of women's magazines brought to nineteenth century feminists. As indicated in letters to friends and family, Lucy Stone became an active proponent of women's rights at a time when public speaking tours were the best means of reaching a wide audience. As the printing…

To determine if message recipients rely on heuristics when evaluating message validity, the study examines whether the differential impact of information framed in terms of losses (costs of not choosing an option) versus gains (benefits of choosing an option) might be a function of heuristic processing. Subjects, 87 undergraduate psychology…

This paper explores a philosophical framework for using the ballots which a contestant receives as part of one's participation in a forensic tournament. The central thesis of this theoretical article suggests that coaches need to prepare their students for the criticism they will encounter on judge ballots. The argument is made for establishing…

Leaders in any organization can usually see beyond their immediate surroundings and stir the consciousness, emotions, and energies of others to move in a similar direction. This paper suggests metaphor as a useful construct for understanding how people in schools respond to these elusive, yet persuasive leadership influences. Metaphoric languages…

This paper argues that there is a need to take a negative position on "Resolved: that 'should' should appear in Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) debate resolutions." The paper also asserts that it needs to be clear that value debate is not a policy debate. The first contention offered to defend this position is that value…

Recruiting strategies for a forensic program may be improved by cooperation between the admissions office and the forensic coach, by using various types of recruiting efforts, and by publicizing the forensic program. Recruiting efforts include: (1) creating pamphlets on the forensic program; (2) having college forensic students judge at high…

Although research on argumentativeness appears to confirm the centuries-old "commonsense knowledge" that successful arguers enjoy arguing and are adept at remaining "cool and rational" during an argument, the empirical research itself is based on normative assumptions that underlie this Cartesian "commonsense…

In his analysis of Cicero's "Philippics," Cecil Wooten (1983) describes the strategy the Roman advocate used in a rhetorical situation of national crisis as a contest of black and white, the struggle of good against evil; at stake is the very existence of the civilization that he is defending. Choices offered in crisis situations can be…

Mobil Oil's program of "advertorials," or company stances on controversial issues appearing in principal print media, has had several significant results since its inception in 1970. The professed reasons for this campaign were to give the company itself more visibility and to stir up discussion on issues affecting the public. The…

Providing a record of the deliberations of the Second National Conference of Forensics is the function of this book, which is organized around the deliberations and results of each of the following nine work groups: (1) rationale for forensics, (2) ethics of forensics, (3) promotion and tenure standards, (4) strengthening educational goals, (5)…