Bellarmine College Preparatory
Speech and Debate
Individual Events
Original Oratory
Orations are no more than ten minutes in length. All orations must be the original work of the contestant. There are no more than 150 words of directed quotations from any other speech or writing. Notes and manuscripts are not permitted during delivery.
Original Advocacy
The speech which presents a problem and a solution is 10 minutes in length. The maximum number of quoted words is 150.
Expository Speaking
This event is a carefully prepared informative address on a worthwhile topic giving careful attention to description, explanation, illustration, and definition. It must be more explanatory than entertaining. Visual aids are permitted.
National and Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking
Each contestant chooses 1 topic from 3 choices drawn from issues discussed in US News and World Report, Time, or Newsweek for 3 months preceding the tournament. He or she then has 30 minutes preparation time to develop a seven minute speech to be delivered without notes.
Impromptu Speaking
The speech is no more than 5 minutes in length. Each contestant draws three topics for each round. Each speaker is allowed 2 minutes preparation time; no notes are permitted.
Humorous and Dramatic Interpretation
In the introduction, the contestant must give the title, author, and source of his or her selection. The selection can be no more than ten minutes. Selections must be from published stories, plays, essays, or poems. Selections must be memorized. Dramatic pieces deal with more serious issues whereas humorous pieces are usually light-hearted.
Oratorical Interpretation
Selections must be from a published version of a speech that has been publicly delivered.
Duo Interpretation
This interpretation allows two contestants to present a selection, each "portraying" one character interacting with the other. Selections must be from a published source and cannot be longer than 10 minutes.
Original Prose and Poetry
In a maximum of 10 minutes, contestants present original work of any literary style. There is a limit of 150 quoted words maximum.
Thematic Interpretation
The contestant will use at least three sources of literature centered around a theme. The maximum time is ten minutes. An excerpt must be either 150 words minimum or the entire work.
Debate Events
Policy Debate
Policy debate is where you provide an example of the resolution - for example providing US troops to the United Nations Mission in Liberia; and the negative team has to prove why that might be a bad idea, or is unnecessary. Both affirmative and negative teams have the ability to choose what argument types they get to run; for example in certain types of debate rounds you could choose to discuss the underlying masculinist principles of international relations, whereas in another you could discuss how providing troops to peacekeeping operations destroys military readiness. Policy debate is a lot more evidence oriented - which is why polciy debaters carry around tubs full of evidence organized by argument type. Every claim is warranted by professors, newspapers or in some cases, North Korean propoganda.
Lincoln-Douglas Debate
One person upholds the affirmative of a value question and another upholds the negative. The most important issues are dealt with in a logical manner with evidence used; however, there is not as much emphasis on evidence as in Policy debate. Debaters are judged on the development of their arguments as well as how well they refute the issues presented by their opponents.
Student Congress
The object of student congress is to have students debate pro and con about solutions to current social problems. Topics are presented in the form of a bill or resolution. Each student has three minutes to give a pro or con speech with a one minute mandatory questioning period. Judges look for refutation of specific issues as well as delivery techniques.
Resources
Policy Debate
2003 - 2004 Resolution: Resolved: the United States Federal Government should establish a foreign policy substantially increasing its support of United Nations peacekeeping operations.
Links and Resources:
- ACLU
- Policy.com
- TRUSTe
- Center for Democracy and Technology
- The Brookings Institute
- The CATO Institute
- The Hudson Institute
- The Heritage Institute
Lincoln-Douglas Debate
September-October 2004 Topic: Resolved: Individual claims of privacy ought to be valued above competing claims of social welfare.
November-December 2004 Topic: Resolved: The United States has a moral obligation to promote democratic ideals in other nations.
January-February 2005 Topic: Resolved: Democracy is best served by strict separation of church and state.
Links and Resources:
Extemporaneous Speaking
Links:
