Inter-Collegiate policy debate
Encyclopedia : I : IN : INT : Inter-Collegiate policy debate
| Part of the series Policy Debate | |
| |
| Organization | |
| Policy debate competitions Inter-Collegiate policy debate | |
| Format | |
| Structure of policy debate · Resolution Constructive · Rebuttal · Prep Time Evidence · Flow | |
| Participants | |
| Affirmative · Negative · Judge | |
| Types of Arguments | |
|
Stock Issues · Disadvantage Counterplan · Kritik Impact calculus · Topicality | |
| Argumentative Concepts | |
| Offense · Defense · Turn · Drop | |
Format
Each round is divided into four 9-minute constructive speeches, each followed by a 3-minute cross-examination period, then four 6-minute rebuttal speeches. The two sides alternate, with the affirmative getting the first and last speeches of the round and the negative getting the last constructive and the first rebuttal in the middle. Most affirmative teams present a specific policy option, or plan, as a normative defence of the resolution. However, some teams partake in alternative forms of debate, including performance, personal advocacies, or otherwise critical approaches. Negatives have several options for response, including solvency arguments against the effectiveness of the plan, external policy disadvantages, opportunity-cost-based counterplans, arguments stemming from debate theory such as the failure of the affirmative to advocate the resolution, and critical approaches. Argument is highly evidence-based, with numerous lengthy excerpts from books and articles read by each side. Speeches are often very fast, so much so as to be incomprehensible to people who are not used to the style.Governing organizations
Inter-collegiate policy debate has been historically overseen by the National Debate Tournament (NDT), the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA), the National Educational Debate Association (NEDA), the American Debate Association (ADA), the Great Plains Forensic Conference, and the National Forensics Association's Lincoln Douglas (NFA-LD) debate (a policy variant of the high school LD format, which is less commonly practiced in colleges and universities). However, recently most of these leagues have been combined into one, and the distinctions are minimal, aside from one: there is no single unified national championship. The NDT, CEDA, and the ADA all host national tournaments.Differences high school debate
Inter-collegiate and high school policy debate are largely identical. However, there are a few differences:
- High school debate has its own, separate, leagues and tournaments.
- High school constructives are only 8 minutes, and high school rebuttals are only 5 minutes.
- Each year, the resolutions are different: for the 2005-2006 season, the college topic is "Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase diplomatic and economic pressure on the People's Republic of China in one or more of the following areas: trade, human rights, weapons nonproliferation, Taiwan." The 2005-2006 high school topic concerns civil liberties.
- While argument styles are generally similar, college judges are perhaps more likely to require actual plausibility from arguments; most noticeably, topicality violations and other theory arguments tend to be harder to win as round-determining offense.
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