Introduction to Debate I can… explain the difference between debates, fights, and arguments. describe different characteristics of debates. define counterarguments and rebuttals. define domain-specific vocabulary related to debates (i.e. claim, relevant, opening argument, delineate, etc.) L.6.6/L.7.6/L.8.6/L.9-10.6

Why learn debate? Persuade others to get what you want College admissions essays Convince parents to allow you to… Convince friends to… Argue for something in your job Help settle other arguments Negotiate a peaceful solution Mediate between friends or family Defend yourself Prove you are innocent Prove why something was unintentional Argue why something shouldn’t happen

What’s the difference? Debate: two people equally trying to prove which side is “right”, using a formal structure. Argument: presenting a persuasive opinion; there may or may not be another person involved. Fight: confrontation in which people cross lines to prove to each other WHO or what is “right” Bottom Line: FIGHTING is personally attacking in order to win. DEBATE is a logical, objective* discussion to determine what is right. *objective= neutral, not biased Persuasion

What IS debate? Debate can be: Formal OR informal With OR without an audience With OR without a “judge” – competitive or non-competitive Written OR spoken Political, legal, OR everyday With OR without consequences for whoever “loses”

It’s more than just bickering! Elaborate types of logic can be used in debates to make things complicated. Ex: deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning, value criteria, etc. There are many very formal types of debate. EACH has its own set of rules and structures for what it said and when. Ex: Lincoln- Douglas debates For this unit, we are focusing on a very simplified version of Lincoln-Douglas debate (LD).

What is Lincoln-Douglas Debate (LD)? Series of seven famous debates in 1858 between Abraham Lincoln (Republican) and Senator Stephen Douglas (Democrat). MANY topics were debated; one of them was slavery. They were running against each other for the Illinois State Senate. Their debates are so famous that students on today’s debate teams compete against each other using LD structure.

LD structure Affirmative Constructive: 6 Minutes Notice that: Two debaters take turns (no interrupting) Fast pace Time limits Combination of delivering speeches, rebuttals to the other person’s comments, and “cross-examination” (interrogating them) in order to ask clarification questions Affirmative Constructive: 6 Minutes Negative Cross Examination: 3 Minutes Negative Constructive: 7 Minutes Affirmative Cross Examination: 3 Minutes Affirmative Rebuttal: 4 Minutes Negative Rebuttal: 6 Minutes Affirmative Rebuttal: 3 Minutes Prep Time: 4 Minutes per debater Source: The National Forensics League website, 2013

So, how exactly DO you debate? Let’s learn some vocabulary for the STRUCTURE of debate and the TYPES of things you can say!

Terms to Know Opening statement Closing statement a statement made by the lawyer for each side at the beginning of a trial, in which each lawyer outlines the case he or she intends to present in a trial, each attorney's summary of the case, which attempts to persuade the judge (and the jury if there is one) to favor his or her side Remember: the opening statement is a speech that you prepare and practice in advance. You can only practice the closing statement to a point, since you will have to spontaneously react to things that are said in the trial or debate.

Terms to Know Counterargument Rebuttal the opposite argument or viewpoint from what the speaker/writer is saying a response that refutes an argument; a comeback Refute: to prove to be false or incorrect

Terms to Know Justify: Defend, explain, or make excuses for by reasoning Ex: The student tried to justify why his homework was late, but there were no good excuses. Ex: Sheila felt justified in stealing the pencil back, since it used to be hers. Acknowledge: To recognize or admit Ex: I can acknowledge that you have a point, but that solution is still impossible! Ex: The lawyer acknowledged the counterargument, but immediately stated his own rebuttal in return. Delineate: Mark the outline of; sketch; describe in detail Ex: The students tried to delineate the speaker’s argument by making an outline of all of the main ideas. Ex: The team of lawyers delineated the other side’s argument in their attempt to find a weak spot and attack them better. Evaluate: To examine, assess, and judge carefully. Ex: The judge evaluated all of the evidence and decided who was guilty. Ex: I watched both of the commercials to evaluate which cell phone would be a better buy.

Terms to Know Claim: A statement or assertion that is open to challenge and that requires support Ex: In my essay, I claimed that pizza was better than burgers. Evidence: relevant pieces of information that support a claim: facts, quotations, examples, statistics, or stories. Ex: I couldn’t find any evidence to support my thesis, so I changed my research topic completely. Logic: A method of reasoning/thinking Ex: I used logic to realize that if Disney is magic and magic makes wishes come true, then going to Disneyland would make my wishes come true!  Reasoning: A mental activity that consists of organizing information or beliefs into a series of steps to reach conclusions Ex: I tried to reason with him, but I couldn’t convince him to change his mind.

Terms to Know Connected with or related to the subject Relevant Irrelevant Connected with or related to the subject Having nothing to do with the subject

Terms to Know Causation Correlation A cause and effect relationship in which one variable controls the changes in another variable. A relationship between two variables. NOTE: Just because two things are RELATED doesn’t mean that one CAUSES the other! Do not mix these up! Examples: Does smoking always CAUSE cancer, or are the two things just RELATED? Will French fries make you fat, or are there other factors too?