Full Description
Written in an accessible style, this textbook introduces undergraduate students to the theoretical and practical aspects of debate and outlines the fundamental skills of analysis and advocacy.
Debate teaches students how to solve the problems that we face in everyday and public situations. This book allows readers to face such problems head on by equipping them with the knowledge and skills to analyze a situation, propose solutions, and present debates and arguments in a persuasive manner. Organized into two parts, the book begins by laying the theoretical foundations and offering a step-by-step guide to debate. Students are shown how to compare pros and cons, test evidence and reasoning, and defend and develop their own positions. Each chapter in part two explores key sample constructive, rebuttal, and summary debate speeches and includes exercises and assignments to allow students to actively engage with the material and experience debate in the classroom.
Providing students with the tools to become responsible members of a democratic society, Learning to Debate: An Introduction to Analysis and Advocacy is an ideal textbook for undergraduate Argumentation and Debate and Speech Communication courses.
Material for instructors, including PowerPoint slides and an instructor's manual, is available at https://routledge.com/9781032671390.
Contents
Part I Introduction: The Basic Vocabulary of Debate 1. What is Debate? 2. Benefits of Debate Education 3. Basic Structure of Formal Debate 4. How to Analyze the Topic 5. Argument Structures and the Toulmin Model of Argument 6. How to Propose an Affirmative Case 7. How to Propose a Negative Case 8. How to Attack and Defend Arguments 9. How to Identify Fallacies 10. How to Conduct Research 11. Cross-Examination 12. Judging Debates Part II Practical Skill 1 "School uniforms should be adopted" Practical Skill 2 "Capital punishment should be banned" Practical Skill 3 "Nuclear Power Plants should be banned" Practical Skill 4 "The Veto Power in the United Nations Security Council should be abolished" Appendix: For Further Reading
