Debate arguments often operate like fashion trends; they emerge on the scene, gain popularity, that popularity peaks and then declines. Some arguments, like multiple counterplans, then experience a resurgence years later. For some time now it has been very difficult to gain any traction by going for framework arguments on the affirmative vs negative critiques. […]
Here are a few links that have been sent to me re: policy relevance since the reps thread, there are some both ways http://www.adbi.org/discussion-paper/2005/09/09/1356.think.tanks/conclusions.the.challenges.of.policy.relevance/ http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=11624 http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2010/02/18/more-on-the-disconnect-between-ir-academics-and-beltway-people/ http://www.prisonplanet.com/how-government-cash-created-the-climategate-scandal.html http://personal.inet.fi/tiede/markku.sotarauta/opetus/markussen.pdf http://www.iheid.ch/webdav/site/political_science/shared/political_science/3452/walt.pdf
I honestly did not really want to do this, but this is the issue I have gotten more questions about than any other since I started working as a debate coach/lab leader. Some rules
First, as clearly explained in the original post this is not a question of “policy focus”- fort hays can just as easily say the aff should get to chose as wake forest can. A good majority of responses totally missed the boat on this so yeah for reading comprehension. I will give a few cursory […]
So this is the first of the “throwdown ” posts. Basically, I will post an argument, then wait like a week or so. During that week anyone can post in comments a response or series of them. I will then write a new post with how I would answer those arguments as if this was […]
Digging Into The Debate Theory Archives is a series highlighting “old” debate theory articles that are particularly thought-provoking, influential, or illuminating and that active debate students would benefit from reading. In tracking the transition from what I called the “policy testing” paradigm of the late 1990s and 2000s to the currently predominant “hypothesis planning” paradigm […]
With the 2022-2023 high school policy debate topic selection process nearing completion, I explained my concerns about the multilateral climate regimes topic. This time, I will share my thoughts about the other option on the final ballot: the NATO emerging technologies topic. Is it the better choice? Unfortunately, I don’t think so. I’ll return to […]
The final round of voting for the 2022-2023 national high school policy debate topic is nearly complete. The two resolutions on the ballot are: 1. Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its support of multilateral greenhouse gas emission reduction regimes. 2. Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its security […]
Digging Into The Debate Theory Archives is a series highlighting “old” debate theory articles that are particularly thought-provoking, influential, or illuminating and that active debate students would benefit from reading. Dr. David Hingstman recently retired after a long and distinguished coaching career. In this post, I will share one of my favorite of his many […]
Digging Into The Debate Theory Archives is a series highlighting “old” debate theory articles that are particularly thought-provoking, influential, or illuminating and that active debate students would benefit from reading. In February 2012, David Glass wrote an article in Rostrum proposing a new concept called “Neg-Neg Theory.” A play on the Plan-Plan Theory of the […]