An important influence on a presidential candidate's debating style, the "incumbency factor," has been largely ignored by researchers. An analysis of the argumentative style of incumbents, based on the 1976 and 1980 presidential debates, has isolated three distinguishing characteristics: (1) presidential incumbents tend to avoid extended…

Students in the speech and theatre department at a Rhode Island university can receive one to three credits for forensic tournament participation and/or student coaching. A four-part evaluation system was designed to grade tournament participation. Students are notified by memo at the beginning of the semester that their final grades will be based…

A speech given by C.A. Holeman at the Kitakyushu University English Study Society (ESS) Intensive English Training Camp in 1985 concerning the history and status of ESSs is presented in this booklet. The contents of the lecture are organized according to the following topics: history and number of ESSs, names, activities, debate, types of…

The 33 sources cited in this annotated bibliography are intended for forensics coaches and participants. References are organized as follows: the philosophy, rationale, and mechanics of forensics education; major theoretical works and textbooks; and issues related to theory and practice. Information on "ERIC First Analysis," a…

Because legal argument shares many of the characteristics of academic debate, it can serve as a paradigm for evaluating debates. Like debate, legal argument is bilateral, the judge is external to the deliberation and excluded from raising his or her own arguments, and reasons have been developed for assigning presumption, determining the wording…

An English as second language (ESL) student at the college level must learn to write adequate compositions. However, most ESL composition texts focus on grammar and sentence structure. A method is proposed for teaching composition to advanced ESL students which reorders the accepted sequencing of materials. Rather than proceeding from sentence to…

A study was conducted to determine the cognitive effects on viewers of the debate between vice-presidential candidates George Bush and Geraldine Ferraro. Adult passengers (N=468) on the Washington State ferries were interviewed, 191 before the debate and 277 afterward. Of those interviewed after the debate, 168 reported watching the debate and 108…

Designed for high school debate students and coaches, this guide presents a preliminary analysis of the issues concerning the 1985-86 national high school debate topic on water policy and provides information concerning the inquiry and advocacy process. Following discussions on the value of policy debate and its future, the book contains one…

Similar to debate but demanding evidence instead of opinion, this teaching strategy stimulates students to examine the principles upon which their nursing actions are based. Mini-disputation, involving less preparation time, is also an effective teaching technique. (Author/MW)

It is evident that, when dialect similarity exists between speakers and listeners, listeners tend to be more accepting of the speakers than when there is a difference in dialect. In order to ascertain the effects on listeners of the dialects of Ford and Carter in the 1976 presidential debates, a questionnaire was administered to 252 students who…

The identifiably different rhetorical behaviors of Patrick Henry and James Madison, as expressed in their Virginia debates, reflect each man's philosophical view of human nature and the role of reason in human behavior. Patrick Henry, expressing the pessimism of Calvinistic tradition, believed that people are intrinsically evil with a dominant…

This paper describes the use of British union, or parliamentary, debating in a college public-communication course. This debating format, practiced at British universities and used in the British House of Commons, promotes interaction between speaker and audience, emphasizing the effective methods of persuasive discourse that evoke audience…

Debate is proposed as the best pedagogical alternative, of several that are suggested, to teach theoretical and relevant sociology to undergraduate college students. (ND)

In partial replication of an analysis of the 1976 presidential campaign debates, two researchers analyzed the debate between Republican presidential candidates Ronald Reagan and George Bush (Houston, April 23, 1980) for its visual features, (amount and type of camera shots). The visual categories by which camera shots were coded included…

Intended as a resource for students in their study of the issues and arguments pertinent to the 1979-80 National High School Debate Resolution, "What should be the future direction of the foreign policy of the United States?," this publication is organized into five units. The units are: definitions, including the problem area and the…