Author: Josh Mitchell, University of Wyoming debater and Cheyenne East alumni
Editor’s note: this article is part of a special feature on debate norms in PF. To read the counterpoint by 2011 NDT octo-finalist Dan Bagwell, click here. In “Evidence, Etiquette, and Ennui,” Dan makes some pretty good arguments about speech docs. I agree 100% with everything he said there. However, I have some qualms with his arguments about paraphrasing. In PF, even if not in other events, paraphrasing is a useful practice. It’s also worth pointing out that Dan’s suggestions related to speech documents would resolve his most stinging critiques of paraphrasing. If debaters are sending each other speech docs, their opponents can follow along and look at any paraphrased evidence they need to in order to evaluate the legitimacy of the paraphrasing. However, we shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bath water: paraphrasing is good for PF.
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Author: Dan Bagwell, Samford University & Mountain Brook High School coach
Editor’s note: this article is part of a special feature on debate norms in PF. Dan Bagwell, octo-finalist at the 2011 National Debate Tournament, argues against paraphrasing below. To read the counterpoint by University of Wyoming debater Josh Mitchell, click here. Branching out beyond policy debate has been a surprisingly fun endeavor for me in recent years, both as a coach and a judge. I’ve enjoyed learning the quirks of other events like Public Forum and Lincoln-Douglas, although my main focus has been on the former. PF can be a lot of fun, and I’ve been lucky to judge plenty of outstanding debates at both national and local tournaments. That said, norms regarding evidence etiquette (or the lack thereof) have spawned some bewildering practices that are far too common and, to put it kindly … less than educational. There are two especially irksome standouts: paraphrased evidence and failure to share speech docs. Both degrade the quality of PF debate, often in mutually reinforcing ways. I’ve made a point to ask debaters and coaches why evidence norms haven’t caught on, but my questions are usually met with shrugs or half-hearted reasons why that’s just the nature of the beast. These should be relatively easy problems to solve, which is why below the fold I’ll make the case for why PF should take a step forward on both fronts. Author: Maggie Pierce, University of Wyoming debater
If you’re a novice debater, the idea of writing one debate case can feel very overwhelming, let alone writing one debate case a month. I am happy to tell you that case writing does not have to be stressful! Monthly, you can produce a well-researched, original case without wanting to rip your hair out. The key to stress-free case writing is breaking the work down into manageable chunks. Below the fold are my 5 steps to writing a killer case: |
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