Do US-Latin America Relations Really Matter?

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Lauren Sabino

A new article in the Eurasia Review argues that they might not – at least not as much as we think. We cut a card from the introduction but encourage you to read the entire thing. It provides some interesting context as well as pretty solid US-LA relations defense. You can find the card (and the link) below the fold. Continue reading →

Posted in Cross-Examination | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Avoid the Biggest Pacing Mistakes

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Lauren Sabino

Here at Debate Central, we’re huge fans of speaking clearly and persuasively. We understand, however, that the demands of many activities make that complicated. Many debaters struggle to balance the desire to speak fast enough to be competitive with the need to communicate in a way that most judges and competitors will easily understand. Case in point, we had a question come in over Twitter this weekend about how to do just that. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

The Surprising Bias Behind IR Kritik Authors

Posted on September 19, 2013 by Lauren Sabino

We were perusing the web today and ran into an interesting article by Stephen M. Walt over at Foreign Policy. His argument? Many of your favorite IR Kritik theorists are failing to produce policy-relevant research because of something so mundane as … rankings? Continue reading →

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How to Stop the Microwave Mentality

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Lauren Sabino

Happy Monday! Many of you have just begun competing and had your first tournament experience this past weekend or the one before. Are you happy with your tournament performance? If you are, that’s great! Keep up the great work! If you’re not, however, maybe the single biggest thing you need to consider is shedding the “microwave mentality.” What do we mean by that? Continue reading →

Posted in Other Resources | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Avoid the Biggest Pitfalls of Using Anecdotes

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Lauren Sabino

Using anecdotes can be a powerful way to boost the emotional appeal of your speech by making abstract issues concrete and giving them a name. Like so many debate tactics, however, a little bit can go a long way. Wendesday’s issue of The Guardian has some tips. Our favorite after the jump,

Continue reading →

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Why You Should Talk About Argument Theory With Your Debate Team

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Lauren Sabino

Our workshop series this season was about much more than topic preparation. Lecturers Jason Sykes (Associate Director of Debate at The Hockaday School) and Brian Lain (Director of Debate at the University of North Texas) created some innovative lessons plans on argument theory, an often-neglected aspect of debate, that translate easily to your classroom or debate meeting! You can find them below the fold. Continue reading →

Posted in ld-latest, Lincoln-Douglas, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Public Forum Coupon Code!

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Lauren Sabino

Our workshop Public Forum instructor, Jason Sykes, has graciously provided a special offer for Debate Central readers! Below the fold, you will find a coupon code for an awesome discount on PFDebate‘s monthly brief! Continue reading →

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