Debate in the News, part 2

I include a link to the article, rather than a PFD of the article, because of the ballot images (which the PDF won’t capture).

How could sexism hurt Clinton in the debates? These female high school debaters know.

I’ve been coaching a long time, and have had a higher-than-average number of female debaters. While I haven’t encountered comments as blatant as the ones in the article, I’m aware that the problem exists.

What I’d like to know, from the readers of this blog, is whether or not you’ve encountered this sort of gender bias in your time as a forensics competitor. (Note that comments won’t post automatically – they’ll come to me first before showing up in the blog.)

 

Debate in the News, part 1

Not all high school debate news is good news, as the following articles show. One is the original breaking story from 2015, the other the follow-up article this month.

Bronx Science teacher in child pornography case told students ‘You’re a big deal’

Ex-Bronx Science Teacher Pleads Guilty in Child Pornography Case

What’s not directly mentioned in the headlines, but is in the articles, is that the teacher in question was the debate coach.

Boundary transgressions matter. I lost my first high school coach, had my first opportunity to coach (helping a program replace a lost coach), and lost an assistant coach to boundary transgressions. I read stories like the ones above with great sadness – for the students (often minors) directly victimized, for the students who lose a coach with knowledge that’s often hard or impossible to replace, and for the coaches who will never again get to do something they loved because they couldn’t tell right from wrong.

Choices matter. One of the secrets to living well (however you define it) is to make good choices.

 

 

Extemp Files update

The Extemp Files were updated Saturday afternoon. They’re complete through June (just before Nationals), and from Sept. 15th on. Articles in the gap will be added as time permits. I have tried to find all the China articles in the gap after Nationals for the CX people.

The Extemp Backfiles folder is gradually being populated, with part of 2011 still to go. (2012-2014 are there, though there are gaps where life got in the way.) I will, at some point soon, move the 2015 articles from the current files to the backfiles; I’ll post the fact when it happens.

Extemp Files instructions repost: The link takes you to a Dropbox folder; if a pop-over window saying something about setting up an account or logging in comes up, just close it.

The files are serious overkill – over 38,000 articles right now. There should be a way to copy or download individual articles when you find the ones you want in your files – try right-clicking the specific PDF file/article and selecting the ‘save link as’ option.

The four-digit numbers at the beginning of most of the file names (and the names of the sub-folders) are simply mm/yy codes so that you can tell how recent the article is at a glance.

Please don’t download the whole thing; it trips up my Dropbox limits and bad things happen that shut down access for others. If you need a full copy, let me know (see the About link for an email address) and I’ll make arrangements to get you a copy or share the folder (so that you get the updates as soon as I post them). Students who want to share the folder will need to have an OK from their coach – I don’t want to step on the toes of any coaches who prefer other methods of team research. (Several coaches already share the folder, if you’re a coach and are interested.) Specific topic subfolders can be shared as well.

Topics – CX (’16-’17), PF (Sep/Oct ’16), LD (Sep/Oct ’16 and Novice)

Policy Debate – 2016-2017 Topic

Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its economic and/or diplomatic engagement with the People’s Republic of China.

See the Extemp Files and Extemp Backfiles – look for the China subfolder.

And, from a recent email to the coaches in my state:

Here are the Novice Policy (CX) Case Areas as set by the NFHS. 

A number of tournaments use these as the case areas for novice and/or JV Policy (CX) divisions. Be sure to always carefully read the tournament invitations. 

2016-2017 NFHS Policy Debate Novice Cases for China

1. Cooperation with China in Outer Space
2. Signing a Bilateral Investment Treaty With China
3. A grand bargain on Taiwan: Repealing the Taiwan Relations Act in exchange for Chinese concessions in the South China Sea
4. Eliminating the U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense Installations in East Asia in exchange for China’s assistance in stopping North Korean nuclearization.

 

Public Forum Debate – 2016 Sept/Oct Topic Area: U.S. Constitution

Resolved: In United States public K-12 schools, the probable cause standard ought to apply to searches of students.

I do have an Education subfolder in both the Extemp Files and Extemp Backfiles folder (links above, under the CX resolution). The resolution would seem to be as much about the adult/juvenile distinction as the question of probable cause.

Lincoln-Douglas Debate – 2016 Sept/Oct

Resolved: Countries ought to prohibit the production of nuclear power.

In the Extemp Files and Extemp Backfiles folders, look for both the Nukes and Energy Independence subfolders. If global warming is as serious a problem as scientists say it is, the nuclear power provides the energy on which we depend without carbon emissions. On the other hand, nuclear power leaves us with some serious (and seemingly eternal) waste disposal issues. Nuclear plant costs can be extreme, and the risk of terrorists compromising the plants or a plant’s fuel may also be factors. (Footnote: you can get a great deal on a partially-built plant in Alabama right now – really!)

LD is value debate – should you argue this resolution from a strictly value standpoint, or would a real-world approach be more appropriate?

Lincoln-Douglas Debate – Novice Topic

Resolved: Civil disobedience in a democracy is morally justified.

More on this one later. In my state, with novice tournaments in October and varsity not beginning until November, this may be the only LD topic we see.

Extemp Files update

Time to get going again!

The Extemp Files were updated yesterday (Monday). They’re complete through June (just before Nationals). While I did manage to pull articles all summer, they have not all been filed yet. As such, there are articles for the three months since Nationals in the extemp files, but more will be added. (The extreme number of articles on the elections is the major reason for the backlog.) I’ve also tried to file as many of the China articles as I can find for the CX people.

The Extemp Backfiles folder is gradually being populated, with part of 2011 still to go. (2012-2014 are there, though there are gaps where life got in the way.) I will, at some point soon, move the 2015 articles from the current files to the backfiles; I’ll post the fact when it happens.

Extemp Files instructions repost: The link takes you to a Dropbox folder; if a pop-over window saying something about setting up an account or logging in comes up, just close it.

The files are serious overkill – over 36,000 articles right now. There should be a way to copy or download individual articles when you find the ones you want in your files – try right-clicking the specific PDF file/article and selecting the ‘save link as’ option.

The four-digit numbers at the beginning of most of the file names (and the names of the sub-folders) are simply mm/yy codes so that you can tell how recent the article is at a glance.