EPE 301 “TAKING
SIDES” DEBATES
You are now a
member of your selected team. Your team will be graded as a whole. This means
that you will be as strong as your weakest link. Be sure that you work together
so that all members of your team have an adequate background of the positions
and arguments that you will be proposing.
DEBATE
TEAM POSITIONS:
Moderator -- introduces
the team’s position and basic points; keeps the team on track (in terms of time
constraints, making sure that your team addresses all of the opposition’s
questions.
Constructor/Cross
Examiner – lays out the team’s position points in greater
detail. But as s/he is going, poses questions about the opposing team's
arguments (the other team’s responder and moderator should keep track of these
questions).
Responder -- responds to
questions posed by the opposing team's Cross-Examiner.
Summarizer(team) -- closes the
debate by summarizing the main points of his or her team's arguments,
especially attempts by the opposition to shoot holes in their arguments.
DEBATE OUTLINE:
(COIN TOSS TO
DETERMINE ORDER)
1. Your Moderator
makes an opening statement (5 MINUTES). This should state the question/issue,
your team's position and the basic position points your teammate will be
proposing. (“Good morning. My name is ___________. My teammates are ___________, ___________,
and _________. Today’s debate question
is ___________________. Our position is
YES/NO because…”
2. Constructor
then goes into detail about each position point. As s/he is going, at least 5 questions for
the opposing team should be woven into the discussion (10 MINUTES). As you’re doing your research and constructing your
team’s position, imagine how the opposing team would respond, and try to come
up with questions that refute their position. These questions should be about
the more general points of your argument.
For example, if the question is “Should prayer in school be allowed?”
and your team is answering in the negative:
“Our
position is that YES, prayer should be allowed in schools for the following
reasons:
(1)
Our opponents will tell you that the First Amendment says "Congress shall
make no law respecting an establishment of religion". We cannot take that
at face value. How much weight should we
give that claim, when we consider the fact that it when our Constitution said
that all men are created equal, it took almost 90 years for that to be applied
to blacks?
(2)
Yes, it’s against the law to forbid people to pray on their own; and it’s
against the law to force people to listen to you pray. Yes, our opponents will
remind us that there is supposed to be a separation of Church (any religion)
and State (the public school), but we ask them this: where in the Constitution does it prohibit children
from engaging in truly voluntary prayer? In fact, the Constitution states
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting
the free exercise thereof". Why can’t children voluntarily as
individuals or in groups pray at the beginning of the day, over lunch, before
tests, or at any time they have a free moment – why are they not free to
exercise their religion?
***Do
not ask questions that are too specific: Ex: Yes, it’s against the law to
forbid people to pray on their own; and it’s against the law to force people to
listen to you pray. But why was it in the case of the elementary school in
3. The Responder
should have answers prepared which will be used to respond to your opponents’
questions (5-10 MINUTES). Imagine that you are from the other team and
determine what questions may be asked of your team. Also, during the opposition’s opening
statement and during the Constructor’s statement, make note of their question
and begin to formulate answers.
4. One or more
team members will act as SUMMARIZER(S), re-stating the arguments/position
points (2 MINUTES). You should take notes during the entire debate so
that you may refer to these in your final presentation of your team's views.
When you have
determined who will be responsible for each portion of your team's debate, it
is up to you to prepare yourself for the challenge that lies ahead. Only one
team will win this debate. The winning team will:
·
have a solid
background regarding all material
·
have plenty of
evidence to back up claims
·
use teamwork to
teach all in group the important concepts behind specific positions
·
be
creative/psyche out opponents
·
outclass opponents/never giving an answer of
"uh...."