Creating The Affirmative’s Case / Creating The Opposition’s Case

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

● Students will demonstrate their knowledge of parliamentary debate skills as they apply these skills during an in class debate.

● Students will demonstrate the ability to create logical, persuasive arguments based on credible evidence.

● Students will present arguments effectively, defend their position, and refute opposing arguments constructively.

● Students will demonstrate effective adjudication skills as they judge their classmates debates.

DEBATE TOPICS

1. Russian Aggression in Ukraine 2. Confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown-Jackson to SCOTUS 3. Masks in Schools 4. The Censoring of Information in the Classroom

ASSIGNMENT REQUIREMENTS WRITTEN PORTION:

PLEASE NOTE: The Debate Brief Draft Outline should be uploaded to the Parliamentary Debate Assignment Part 1 of 3: Draft Outline of Debate Brief

● Students will submit their Final Debate Brief to this assignment page.

Students will select one of the above topics to use as they complete the written portion of the assignment. Following these requirements:

1. The topics will be decided upon by the instructor and will be of a current social issue taken from the headlines of major newspapers from the previous week. Students will use these topics as the controversy to identify the central issue of their debate brief.

2. Students will create the proposition from one of the given topics. The proposition must follow the steps outlined during lecture: (Students should follow the Actor, Action, Issue structure taught during lecture).

1. Controversy: this will be one of the above topics. 2. Central Issue Identified: the student will select of the central

issues related to the controversy. 3. Wording must be affirmative and free of emotional or loaded

language. 4. A clear statement of the affirmative’s plan.

3. Students will write a debate brief that could potentially be used as the opening speech of their debate. The debate brief should include all of the stock issues used to analyze the proposition (provide 2 examples for each stock issue):

1. Harms 2. Inherency 3. Solvency 4. Advantages

4. Students should use this standard speech outline in the construction of their first speech.

1. Introduction 1. Hook 2. Thesis (proposition) 3. Preview of main points (roadmap your debate;

Discuss plan, and two advantages). 2. Main Point 1:

1. Contextualize the topic 2. Harms

1. Harm 1 2. Harm 2

3. Inherency 1. Inherency 1 2. Inherency 2

4. Plan/Proposition 1. Solvency

1. Solvency 1 2. Solvency 2

3. Main Point 2: 1st Advantage

1. 1st Advantage 2. Link to 1st Harm

3. Link to 1st Inherency 4. Link to 1st Solvency

4. Main Point 3: 2nd Advantage 1. 2nd Advantage 2. Link to 2nd Harm 3. Link to2nd Inherency 4. Link to 2nd Solvency

5. Conclusion 1. Review of speech (give us your voters or reasons you

won the debate) 2. Restate the thesis (proposition/plan) 3. Return to hook used to start speech.

5. Written work should follow APA formatting and style specifically the following: Running Header on each page; Header on the first page (instead of including a cover page); Double spaced; 12 pt. font; and a “References” page included at the end of paper, Students do not need to include an abstract page or cover page.

6. Each student must use at least four sources in support of their ideas and conclusions. All four must represent a diverse viewpoint and be properly cited using APA formatting and style. All sources must include 1) an APA intext citation; 2) a signal phrase in the written speech, and 3) included an entry in the APA formatted reference page. Strict adherence to APA formatting is required. Please refer to the Purdue Owl Online Writing Lab APA Style for specifications.

7. Written work must be free from spelling errors and follow the accepted rules of grammar & good writing.

8. The Draft Outline of the Parliamentary Debate Brief should be uploaded to the Parliamentary Debate Assignment Part 1 of 3 by 11.59 pm, March 16, 2022.

9. Students will upload their Final Draft Parliamentary Debate Brief to this Canvas page prior to class on the first day of debates, April 5, 2022.

DEBATE PORTION: 1. Working in pairs, students will debate another team (pair of students)

during class and this will be decided by random selection. (Hint: Students who are absent will be selected to debate and therefore miss their chance to complete the assignment unless prior written approval is obtained from the instructor).

2. For the actual debate, the instructor will provide the debate proposition to be debated. The Affirmative side will create the plan from the proposition they have been given.

3. Teams must demonstrate the principles of parliamentary debate; teamwork, listening and responding to outside arguments and advancing your position effectively.

1. Flowsheets should be used to ensure coverage of all required stock issues of policy debate.

2. Speeches that are significantly under the allotted time will negatively impact the grade of the speaker (times for each speech are at the end of this page).

3. Affirmative teams should provide the proposition plan; harms; inherency; solvency; and advantages.

First Affirmative speaker (Prime Minister) will present the Affirmative’s case.

Second Affirmative speaker (Member of Government) will refute the Negative’s case and support the Affirmative’s case.

Affirmative’s Closing (Prime Minister) will present the reasons their case won the debate (these reasons are called, voters).

4. Negative teams should accept the affirmative’s plan with rebuttal or present their counterplan.

■ Teams arguing for the negative must respond to the affirmative’s plan (harms/inherency, and solvency) in order to receive a passing grade for the assignment.

■ Students may demonstrate superior work by providing a counter plan with harms and solvency related to the counter plan.

■ Negative teams can also demonstrate mastery by turning the affirmative team’s argument.

First Negative speaker (Leader of Opposition) will present the Negative’s case and begin refuting the Affirmative’s case.

Second Negative speaker (Member of Opposition) will refute the Affirmative’s case and support the Negative’s case.

Negative’s Closing (Leader of Opposition) will present the reasons their case won the debate.

5. Both teams should flow the entire debate: Continue and sustain their arguments and rebut the oppositions arguments throughout the debate. Not flowing the debate will result in dropped arguments and speaking under time.

6. Students’ presentation skills should draw upon extemporaneous speaking skills, informative speaking techniques, and effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills. Style is important but the focus should be on concise logical arguments.

ADJUDICATION PORTION: 1. Students will be required to judge 3 debates of their classmates during class. 2. Students must flow the entirety of each debate including the following:

1. Names of the Affirmative Team 2. Names of the Negative Team 3. Include the Proposition given by the instructor 4. Flow the debate as presented by the teams. 5. Using the flow, decide upon a winner for the debate and provide a

Reason for Decision (why you chose who won). 6. And the students name.

The points for this portion of the assignment (these will be moved to the rubric shortly).

Total Points for the Assignment will be weighted as follows:

1. Written Portion 1. Sources cited correctly

10 Pts. 2. Sound logic used to construct speech

10 Pts. 3. Quality of writing (rules of writing and grammar are followed) 10

Pts. 2. Performance

1. Delivery (non-verbal & verbal aspects) 10 pts.

2. Sound logic 10 Pts.

3. Effective use of Parliamentary Debate techniques 20 Pts.

Total 70 Points

1. Prime Minister’s Speech 3 min 2. Leader of the Opposition’s Speech 3 min 3. Member of Government’s Speech 3 min 4. Member of Opposition’s Speech 3 min 5. Leader of the Opposition’s Closing 1 min 6. Prime Minister’s Closing 1 min

Total time 14 minutes