The Debate Format                  |
It's a two person team debate, in which you and a partner support the affirmative or negative position of a resolution against a team from another university. These competitions take place at tournaments which occur several times each semester. At each tournament you have the opportunity to compete in six or eight debates, on both the affirmative and the negative side of the resolution.
The resolution is selected during the summer, and remains the same for the following fall and spring semesters. The topic for the 2007-2008 year is:
Resolved: That the United States Federal Government should increase its constructive engagement with the government of one or more of the following countries: Afghanistan, Iran, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, and Syria, and it should include offering them a security guarantee(s) and/or a substantial increase in foreign assistance.The affirmative may present a plan which supports the resolution or a critical affirmative which indicts an attitudinal inherency barrier that must be addressed before any policy action can even be considered. The negative must attempt to disprove the plan's usefulness or answer the critical indict and provide a superior alternative.
So that each side has an adequate opportunity to present their side, rounds are carefully structured as follows:
1st Affirmative Constructive -- 9 minutes
1st Negative Constructive -- 9 minutes
2nd Affirmative Constructive -- 9 minutes
2nd Negative Constructive -- 9 minutes
1st Negative Rebuttal -- 6 minutes
1st Affirmative Rebuttal -- 6 minutes
2nd Negative Rubuttal -- 6 minutes
2nd Affirmative Rebuttal -- 6 minutes
Each constructive speech is followed by three minutes of cross examination.
Towson University Debaters participate in policy debate sanctioned by the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA), the American Debate Association (ADA) and the American Forensics Association's National Debate Tournament.
©2007 Towson University Speech and Debate
Webmaster: Adam Jackson
