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…

Intended for parents of developmentally disabled children, the handbook provides information on speaking to community groups. The parent speaker program is designed to correct public misconceptions about disabilities, help people learn more about disabilities, and share practical information. The first section of the handbook provides basic…

A study was conducted to provide a comparative analysis of the 1984 presidential primary and general election debates, specifically in terms of the formats imposed upon them and the emergent candidate verbal behaviors. Ten Democratic nationally televised primary debates and three bipartisan nationally televised General Election debates were…

First affirmative rebuttal strategies are analyzed. (CH)

This paper provides an overview of the general types of evidence used by Ford and Carter in the first presidential campaign debate of 1976. This evidence is analyzed in relation to the key debate subtopics, and some standard tests of evidence are employed regarding accuracy and reliability. The types of evidence considered are statistics,…

In the 1968 political campaign, George Wallace consistently attracted auditors of diverse and highly polarized views, people who were negatively closed-minded and people who were positively closed-minded. He exploited this polarization to heighten the impact of his speaking and to rally and solidify the closed-positive auditors. For example, when…

Legislative intent as a debate tactic is drawn from the judicial system as a fundamental concept in the interpretation of statutes. Two paradigms for the application of legislative intent have emerged: (1) the courts will examine the affirmative proposal after enactment to bring it into line with the intent of the affirmative team, and (2) the…

In recent years, many debates have concentrated on which level of government is most appropriate to adopt a given policy. One suggestion is that fiat power in debate be limited to actions of the federal government. In debate, it must often be decided who should attempt to solve the problem. Too often, debaters forget the real-world limitations on…

Five arguments supporting the existence of two national individual events tournaments in forensics are presented in this paper. The first argument offered is that two national tournaments are needed to accommodate two valid but divergent views of what a national tournament should be--the National Forensic Association's view that the national…

This paper attempts to define the terms "vague" and "ambiguous" and then argues that the problem of doublespeak revolves around the deliberate use of ambiguity, not vagueness. Through several situational examples, doublespeak is defended as a sometimes useful tactic in order to stimulate and encourage open inquiry and…

A rhetorical work functions to produce action in the world and is controlled by the rhetorical situation which generates it. This rhetorical situation is comprised of any combination of persons, events, objects, and relations which requires rhetorical response. The three major constituents of any rhetorical situation are exigence, a condition…

Intercollegiate debate competition depends on close and fair definition of terms for effective debates. Overly narrow or slanted definitions by affirmative debate cases so limit the ensuing argument that debate, as it is now conceived, cannot go on. Improper stipulation shifts fields of argument onto the affirmative case's grounds, rendering the…

Examines various types of evidence to determine how much and what type of rhetorical training a student would have received in the medieval schools. (MH)