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Policy debate
Policy debate is an American form of debate competition in which teams of two usually advocate for or against a resolution that advocates a certain policy action by the United States federal government. It is also referred to as cross-examination debate (sometimes shortened to Cross-X or CX) because of the three-minute questions-and-answers period following each constructive speech. Evidence presentation is a crucial part of policy debate. The main argument being debated during a round is to change or not change the status quo. When a team explains why their solvency is greater than the opposition's, they compare advantages. One team’s job is to argue that the resolution—the statement that a specific change to a national or international problem should be made—is a good idea. The affirmative team generally presents a plan as a hypothetical policy proposal which falls under the resolution, while the negative team presents arguments against the implementation of the affirmative team's plan.
A policy debate round will typically take approximately one hour and 30 minutes and comprises a total of eight speeches and four cross-examination periods. Each individual in the debate round gives one “constructive” speech and one “rebuttal” speech. Additionally, each individual will cross-examine their opponent and be cross-examined by their opponent once. The first four speeches in a round are constructive speeches, while the final four speeches are rebuttal speeches. Cross-examination occurs directly following each constructive speech. During constructive speeches, debaters articulate and develop their main points or arguments for or against the hypothetical government action that the affirmative presents in the first speech of the round. During rebuttal speeches, debaters try to rebut (or refute) the arguments made by the other team, while using their own arguments to try to persuade the judge to vote for their team. Usually, the Affirmative has to persuade the judge to vote for their plan, while the Negative has to persuade the judge that the affirmative plan is undesirable.
High school policy debate is sponsored by various organizations including the National Speech and Debate Association, National Association of Urban Debate Leagues, Catholic Forensic League, Stoa USA, and the National Christian Forensics and Communications Association, as well as many other regional debate and speech organizations. Collegiate policy debates are generally governed by the guidelines of National Debate Tournament (NDT) and the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA), which have been joined at the collegiate level. A one-person policy format is sanctioned by the National Forensic Association (NFA)) on the collegiate level as well.
Academic debate had its origins in intra-collegiate debating societies, in which students would engage in invitational debates against their classmates. Wake Forest University's debate program claims to have its origins in student literary societies founded on campus in the mid-1830s, which first presented joint "orations" in 1854. Many debating societies that were founded at least as early as the mid-nineteenth century are still active today, though they have generally shifted their focus to intercollegiate competitive debate. In addition to Wake Forest, the debate society at Northwestern University dates to 1855. Boston College's Fulton Debating Society, which was founded in 1868, continues to organize an annual "Fulton Prize Debate" between teams of its own students after the intercollegiate debate season has ended. Other universities continue similar traditions.
Intercollegiate debates have been held since at least as early as the 1890s. History records there were debates between teams from Wake Forest University and Trinity College (later Duke University) beginning in 1897. Additionally, a debate between students from Boston College and Georgetown University occurred on May 1, 1895, in Boston. Whitman College debated Washington State University, Willamette University, and the University of Idaho in the late 1890s. Southwestern claims that the first debate held on its campus was between Southwestern and Fairmount College (which eventually became Wichita State University) but that debate could not have occurred prior to 1895, the year Fairmount College began classes.
By the mid-1970s, regular rules for lengths of speeches developed. Each side (Affirmative and Negative) was afforded two opening "constructive" speeches, and two closing "rebuttal" speeches, for a total of eight speeches each debate round. Each speaker was cross-examined by their opponent for a period following his or her constructive speech. Traditionally rebuttals were half the length of constructives, but when a style of faster delivery speed became more standard in the late 1980s, that time management stricture was dropped. Wake Forest University introduced reformed speech times in both its college (9‑6 instead of 10‑5) and high school (8‑5 instead of 8‑4) tournaments, which spread rapidly to become the new de facto standards.[citation needed]
Policy debaters' speed of delivery will vary from league to league and tournament to tournament. In more progressive and larger tournaments, debaters will speak very quickly - a practice dubbed "spreading" (short for speed reading) - in order to read as much evidence and make as many arguments as possible within the time-constrained speech. Speed reading or spreading is normal at the majority of national circuit policy debate tournaments.
Some, most commonly debaters and coaches not participating on the national debate circuit, feel that the rapid-fire delivery makes debate harder to understand for the layperson. Many further claim that the increased speed encourages debaters to make several poor arguments, as opposed to a few high-quality ones. A slower style is preferred by those who want debates to be understandable to lay people and those who claim that the pedagogical purpose of the activity is to train rhetorical skills. In contrast, rapid delivery is encouraged by those who believe that increased quantity and diversity of arguments makes debates more educational. Proponents of the delivery style, commonly associated or participating in the national circuit, emphasize that spreading can help increase the quality of debates by enabling more nuanced viewpoints, rather than more general positions. Most debaters will vary their rate of delivery depending upon the judge's preferences.[citation needed]
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Policy debate
Policy debate is an American form of debate competition in which teams of two usually advocate for or against a resolution that advocates a certain policy action by the United States federal government. It is also referred to as cross-examination debate (sometimes shortened to Cross-X or CX) because of the three-minute questions-and-answers period following each constructive speech. Evidence presentation is a crucial part of policy debate. The main argument being debated during a round is to change or not change the status quo. When a team explains why their solvency is greater than the opposition's, they compare advantages. One team’s job is to argue that the resolution—the statement that a specific change to a national or international problem should be made—is a good idea. The affirmative team generally presents a plan as a hypothetical policy proposal which falls under the resolution, while the negative team presents arguments against the implementation of the affirmative team's plan.
A policy debate round will typically take approximately one hour and 30 minutes and comprises a total of eight speeches and four cross-examination periods. Each individual in the debate round gives one “constructive” speech and one “rebuttal” speech. Additionally, each individual will cross-examine their opponent and be cross-examined by their opponent once. The first four speeches in a round are constructive speeches, while the final four speeches are rebuttal speeches. Cross-examination occurs directly following each constructive speech. During constructive speeches, debaters articulate and develop their main points or arguments for or against the hypothetical government action that the affirmative presents in the first speech of the round. During rebuttal speeches, debaters try to rebut (or refute) the arguments made by the other team, while using their own arguments to try to persuade the judge to vote for their team. Usually, the Affirmative has to persuade the judge to vote for their plan, while the Negative has to persuade the judge that the affirmative plan is undesirable.
High school policy debate is sponsored by various organizations including the National Speech and Debate Association, National Association of Urban Debate Leagues, Catholic Forensic League, Stoa USA, and the National Christian Forensics and Communications Association, as well as many other regional debate and speech organizations. Collegiate policy debates are generally governed by the guidelines of National Debate Tournament (NDT) and the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA), which have been joined at the collegiate level. A one-person policy format is sanctioned by the National Forensic Association (NFA)) on the collegiate level as well.
Academic debate had its origins in intra-collegiate debating societies, in which students would engage in invitational debates against their classmates. Wake Forest University's debate program claims to have its origins in student literary societies founded on campus in the mid-1830s, which first presented joint "orations" in 1854. Many debating societies that were founded at least as early as the mid-nineteenth century are still active today, though they have generally shifted their focus to intercollegiate competitive debate. In addition to Wake Forest, the debate society at Northwestern University dates to 1855. Boston College's Fulton Debating Society, which was founded in 1868, continues to organize an annual "Fulton Prize Debate" between teams of its own students after the intercollegiate debate season has ended. Other universities continue similar traditions.
Intercollegiate debates have been held since at least as early as the 1890s. History records there were debates between teams from Wake Forest University and Trinity College (later Duke University) beginning in 1897. Additionally, a debate between students from Boston College and Georgetown University occurred on May 1, 1895, in Boston. Whitman College debated Washington State University, Willamette University, and the University of Idaho in the late 1890s. Southwestern claims that the first debate held on its campus was between Southwestern and Fairmount College (which eventually became Wichita State University) but that debate could not have occurred prior to 1895, the year Fairmount College began classes.
By the mid-1970s, regular rules for lengths of speeches developed. Each side (Affirmative and Negative) was afforded two opening "constructive" speeches, and two closing "rebuttal" speeches, for a total of eight speeches each debate round. Each speaker was cross-examined by their opponent for a period following his or her constructive speech. Traditionally rebuttals were half the length of constructives, but when a style of faster delivery speed became more standard in the late 1980s, that time management stricture was dropped. Wake Forest University introduced reformed speech times in both its college (9‑6 instead of 10‑5) and high school (8‑5 instead of 8‑4) tournaments, which spread rapidly to become the new de facto standards.[citation needed]
Policy debaters' speed of delivery will vary from league to league and tournament to tournament. In more progressive and larger tournaments, debaters will speak very quickly - a practice dubbed "spreading" (short for speed reading) - in order to read as much evidence and make as many arguments as possible within the time-constrained speech. Speed reading or spreading is normal at the majority of national circuit policy debate tournaments.
Some, most commonly debaters and coaches not participating on the national debate circuit, feel that the rapid-fire delivery makes debate harder to understand for the layperson. Many further claim that the increased speed encourages debaters to make several poor arguments, as opposed to a few high-quality ones. A slower style is preferred by those who want debates to be understandable to lay people and those who claim that the pedagogical purpose of the activity is to train rhetorical skills. In contrast, rapid delivery is encouraged by those who believe that increased quantity and diversity of arguments makes debates more educational. Proponents of the delivery style, commonly associated or participating in the national circuit, emphasize that spreading can help increase the quality of debates by enabling more nuanced viewpoints, rather than more general positions. Most debaters will vary their rate of delivery depending upon the judge's preferences.[citation needed]