Value and Policy Debate

Cross-Examination Debate:

Policy, or cross-examination, debate has been a competitive event in Texas since 1910. With such a long history, policy debate has developed elaborate structures, strategies, and expected behaviors. C-X debate rounds last up to 1½ hours each, and debaters are expected to develop issues in great detail.

• In general, policy debate is based on pragmatism- practical, matter-of-fact, or realism.
• Policy debaters act as legislators, proposing legislative actions (laws), and supporting or denying the benefits of such action.
• A proposition is proven valid through the scientific method - experimentation - analyzing the cause and effect relationship of past events.
• A benefit of policy debate is that it is more exact having clear goals and expectations.
• A disadvantage of policy debate is that the topics are more distant from the debater's real world and less personal.

Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Lincoln-Douglas, or value, debate has only been a competitive event in Texas since 1982. With such a short history, the event lacks the structure of policy debate and judges' expectations vary widely. L-D debate rounds last only 40 minutes, and debaters must persuade the judge of the superiority of their position without relying on elaborate details.

• In general, value debate is based upon philosophical thought - broad principles and persuasion.
• Value debaters act as philosophers and attempt to persuade the judge that certain attitudes are more important than other attitudes.
• A proposition is proven valid by rational analysis- thinking - a quest for truth through logical reasoning rather than factual observance.
• A benefit of value debate is that the topics are more personal and that the debater's feelings play an important role in winning a round.
• A disadvantage of value debate is the time limits - there is little time to develop elaborate arguments or positions.

Comparison of Formats

Concept Quick Review

1. A policy debater acts as a xxxxxx while a value debater acts as a xxxxxx.
2. In general, policy debate is based upon xxxxxx while value debate is based upon xxxxxx .
3. An affirmative policy debater will adopt a xxxxxx that will attempt to solve
   a problem while an affirmative value debater will adopt a xxxxxx that
   demonstrates the importance of a concept.
4. Vocabulary: policy - value - pragmatic - philosophy

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Time Limits

Debate Speeches

A single round of Lincoln-Douglas debate lasts approximately 40 minutes. Within that time each debater must present his case(position) and refute (argue against) his opponent's position. Debaters, however, do not "argue" back and forth, but give individual speeches in an organized manner.

• Affirmative Construction 6 minutes
• Cross Examination of Affirmative by the Negative 3 minutes

(Negative preparation time - Approximately 2 minutes)

• Negative Construction 7 minutes
• Cross Examination of Negative by the Affirmative 3 minutes

(Affirmative preparation time - Approximately 2 minutes)

• First Affirmative Rebuttal 4 minutes

(Negative preparation time - Approximately 1 minute)

• Negative Rebuttal 6 minutes

(Affirmative preparation time - Approximately 1 minute)

• Last Affirmative Rebuttal 3 minutes

When giving a construction or rebuttal (speeches made by a single debater), the debater will move to the front and center of the room to address the judge, his opponent, and audience members. During the cross-examination period (questioning), both debaters will stand at the front of the room, side-by-side, and face the judge - all questions and answers should be directed towards the judge, not the opponent.

Preparation Time

Each debater is allowed a total of three minutes preparation time that may be taken between any speech. The times listed above are only recommendations, not requirements.

• Most judges disapprove of taking prep-time before the cross-examination period. Think about it - you are leaving a debater standing in the front of the room with nothing to do. Take prep-time after the questioning period.
• Do not use all of your prep time early in the debate - you may need a few seconds to find something before your last speech.
• Do use all of your preparation time - impressions count in L-D debate and not using all of your prep-time yields an "I don't care" attitude.
• Do organize your materials before the debate - three minutes passes by quickly when you run up against a difficult case.

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Speech Structures

Each of the five speeches and two questioning periods possesses certain provisions that require attention, and a successful debater must ensure that he meets each of these obligations. Speeches will be explored in detail in later units.

• Affirmative Construction Affirmative Construction: (6 minutes) The affirmative speaker submits the affirmative position by 1) defining key words and phrases within the proposition, 2) presenting a value and criteria which supports the proposition, 3) pointing out the pragmatic importance of the issue, and 4) developing a philosophical rational of why the selected value is superior to any competing values.
• Negative Questioning Period Questioning Period: (3 minutes) The negative speaker will ask questions seeking 1) clarification of the affirmative position and issues, 2) specific details related to affirmative value and criteria, and 3) flaws or weaknesses in the affirmative's case. The negative debater may only ask questions and may not make mini-speeches or comments. The affirmative's duty is to answer the questions and should avoid answering a question with another question.
• Negative Construction Negative Construction: (7 minutes) During this speech, the negative's purpose is two-fold - refute the affirmative's position and present a negative position. This can be accomplished by 1) pointing out flaws in the affirmative's case, 2) offering counterwarrants, value objections, and value implications, and 3) presenting the negative position in a manner similar to the affirmative construction.
• Affirmative Questioning Period: (3 minutes) The affirmative speaker will ask the same type of questions as the negative did during his questioning period.
• First Affirmative Rebuttal First Affirmative Rebuttal: (4 minutes) The affirmative must refute the negative position and rebuild his own position during this speech. This can be achieved by 1) attacking the negative position by indicating flaws, presenting counterwarrants, objections, and implications and 2) providing additional evidence, explanation, and rationale for each affirmative issue. Time plays an substantial role in this speech. The affirmative speaker must discuss each (both affirmative and negative) issue raised during both constructions.
• Negative Rebuttal Negative Rebuttal: (6 minutes) The negative speaker has similar responsibilities in this rebuttal as the affirmative speaker held in his rebuttal. Additionally, the negative should summarize the debate by 1) pointing out weaknesses in the affirmative's position, 2) specifying the strengths in the negative's position, and 3) explaining why the issues discussed in the debate weigh in favor of the negative side.
• Last Affirmative Rebuttal Last Affirmative Rebuttal: (3 minutes) This is a short but powerful speech since the affirmative has the "last word " in the round. First, any issue damaged by negative attacks must be rebuilt. Then, the affirmative may summarize the debate and explain why the issues weigh in favor of the affirmative's position.

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Judges

Since Lincoln-Douglas debate has a relatively short history and because value debate in college is markedly different in both style and content, there is little consistency of what judges anticipate within a value debate round. Debaters have lost L-D rounds because they did not present a "plan" or prove "solvency" - stock issues in policy debate. Others have lost rounds because they were "too pragmatic" and did not address the "philosophical requirements" of the proposition. In order to help overcome this obstacle, high school debaters should approach Lincoln-Douglas debate with the following insights:

• Debaters should construct their speeches and adopt a debate style that sensitively instructs the judge about the structure of Lincoln-Douglas debate. In order to accomplish this, the high school debater, himself, must be well schooled in the purpose and principles of high school value debate.
• Debaters must incorporate pragmatic features into their cases. While the key components of the case should be built around philosophical thought and theory, explanations and examples must be bound to "real life" situations and concerns. How do these issues affect our everyday lives?
• Debaters must build their cases on philosophical issues. Instead of addressing policy stock issues such as solvency, use value issues such as value objections. Instead of disadvantages, use value implications. Although the issues seem similar, they are different and possess a more reflective approach.

With these concerns in mind, you should now begin to build an understanding of how to approach a debate topic with both a pragmatic perspective and a philosophical outlook. The lessons that follow this unit are intended to help you to master the three ideas listed above.

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Debate Formats Review

1. Using your own words, define the term pragmatic - define philosophical.
2. List five ways that policy and value debate differ.
3. Without using the handbook, list the time limits for each of the five speeches.
4. How much prep time does each debater have? and, when should it be used?
5. In an outline form, list the obligations a speaker possesses in each speech.
6. What are three things a debater can include in their cases to help compensate for the inconsistency among what judges anticipate in a round?
7. Vocabulary: pragmatism - legislative action - value - cross-examination - policy - philosophical -construction - rebuttal - preparation time - sensitivity issues

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