2015 National Speech & Debate Association National Tournament
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
2015 National Speech & Debate Association National Tournament Extemp Topic Area Analysis by Logan Scisco Introduction This Extemp Central topic analysis breaks down the thirteen topic areas that will be used for International and United States Extemporaneous Speaking at the 2015 National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament in Dallas, Texas. This topic analysis is not sponsored by the NSDA and the author has not participated in writing questions for the NSDA National Tournament. His advice is based on their years of experience as competitors and/or judges at the tournament. For each topic area, extempers will find an explanation of big issues, strategy tips, and a list of practice questions that they can use to prepare for the tournament. The end of the book also has a listing of how this year’s premium topic briefs fit within each area, so extempers can look to that if they wish to get more detail about a specific issue. It is my hope that extempers and their coaches will find this topic area analysis useful in their preparation for this year’s NSDA National Tournament. I thank you for reading it and using Extemp Central for extemporaneous speaking resources. If you have any comments about this topic area analysis, or any Extemp Central services, please forward them to me at [email protected]. -Logan Scisco Extemp Central Founder About the Authors Logan Scisco competed for Danville High School (KY) between 2000 and 2004. He was the 2003 National Final Round Champion in United States Extemp and was a semi-finalist in USX in 2002. He won two state championships in extemporaneous speaking and participated in two national extemp final rounds in high school and two in college. In 2008, his student placed fourth in International Extemp at the national tournament. Logan is the founder of Extemp Central and is currently an assistant coach for Danville High School. Table of Contents International Extemp Topic Area Analysis by Logan Scisco Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………….1-2 Topic Area #1: Africa……………………………………………………………………………………2-6 Topic Area #2: China, Japan, and Korea……………………………………………………………….6-10 Topic Area #3: Crises and Natural Disasters of 2015………………….……………………………..10-13 Topic Area #4: Economic Concerns…………………………………………………………………..13-17 Topic Area #5: India, Pakistan, and Southeast Asia…………………………………………………..17-21 Topic Area #6: International Political Theory and Philosophy…………………………………….…21-23 Topic Area #7: International Relations and Organizations…………………………………………...23-26 Topic Area #8: The Middle East……………………………………………………………………...26-29 Topic Area #9: North and Central America…………………………………………………………..29-32 Topic Area #10: Russia and Eastern Europe………………………………………………………….32-35 Topic Area #11: The World Next Week………………………………………………………………35-36 Topic Area #12: U.S. Foreign Policy…………………………………………………………………36-39 Topic Area #13: Western European Politics………………………………………………………….39-41 United States Extemp Topic Area Analysis by Logan Scisco Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………….42-43 Topic Area #1: The 2016 Election Cycle……………………………………………………………..43-48 Topic Area #2: America’s Role on the World Stage………………………………………………….48-51 Topic Area #3: Business and Industry………………………………………………………………...51-54 Topic Area #4: Congressional Issues…………………………………………………………………54-57 Topic Area #5: Education and Healthcare…………………………………………………………….57-61 Topic Area #6: Energy and the Environment…………………………………………………………61-64 Topic Area #7: Judicial Affairs……………………………………………………………………….64-66 Topic Area #8: The Nation Next Week……………………………………………………………….66-68 Topic Area #9: National Defense and the Military…………………………………………………...68-72 Topic Area #10: The Obama Legacy………………………………………………………………….72-75 Topic Area #11: Social Controversies………………………………………………………………...75-77 Topic Area #12: The State of the American Economy………………………………………………..77-81 Topic Area #13: United States Political Theory and Philosophy……………………………………..81-84 2014-2015 Extemp Central Premium Topic Brief Guide…………………………………………….85-86 2015 NSDA Nationals International Extemp Topic Area Analysis by Logan Scisco If you are reading this topic area analysis, you have probably qualified for the 2015 National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament in Dallas, Texas. You should be congratulated on qualifying and a stern test awaits you as more than two hundred other extempers will be competing against you for the right to call themselves national champion. While the size of the field might be intimidating, especially if you have never attended a national tournament before, a good idea to repeat in your head is that what you are going to be asked to do at the tournament is no different from what you encounter at your local competition. The speeches you are expected to give are still supposed to be seven minutes in length (although you get a grace period and as we have seen in past years time may not even matter in final rounds) and you are still expected to answer the questions you draw and support your conclusions with evidence. You have qualified to this tournament for a reason, so show the country what you can do in Dallas! As I typically note in topic area analysis, International Extemp tends to be the sternest extemporaneous speaking test at the national tournament. The category typically includes most of the highly ranked extempers on the national circuit and more than its fair share of state champions. International Extemp also tends to include more senior competitors, many of whom competed in United States Extemp during previous editions of the national tournament. It is not uncommon to see a “stacked” preliminary round where several recognized extempers are clashing and early elimination rounds also tend to follow this pattern. If you are not a competitor that travels the national circuit, though, you have nothing to be worried about. Most of your judges at the tournament are not national circuit judges and when you get into elimination rounds you are going to be assessed by coaches with significant experience in the category that have been recommended by their respective NSDA district chairs. Unlike the Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA) Extemp Round Robin and the Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions (TOC) at Northwestern University, judges will tend to value more of your delivery of information than analysis, although analysis will be weighed more than what one typically sees among judges at the National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) Grand National Tournament. An advantage that International extempers have over their domestic counterparts is that the judging pool will be less educated and less prejudicial on the topics you are going to speak on. Think about it: how many judges (or Americans for that matter) typically read The Economist and Foreign Affairs? One of the challenges of International Extemp is that you will have to synthesize and explain the problems of the entire world to judges that are not very educated about it. This means that if you choose to talk about Burundi’s political crisis that you need to adequately explain why the situation exists, who the main characters in the ongoing situation are, and why the world should take notice of it. It is very easy to lose your audience in an International Extemp speech, especially if you use names and technical jargon that you do not bother to explain. For this reason, the background information that you provide in the introduction to your speeches, as well as your significance statements will be very important for all of your rounds. However, judges’ relative lack of knowledge about the world can also be an advantage. Whereas United States extempers are going to be forced to tip toe around controversial issues such as abortion, illegal immigration, and racial unrest in Ferguson and Baltimore, International extempers really do not have these problems. The one issue your judge may have a resolute opinion on is the Israeli- Palestinian conflict (ISIS might be another), but you are not going to find a judge that would completely outraged that you chose to bash Venezuela’s Bolivarian socialism or Robert Mugabe’s political incompetence. Therefore, your goal in each speech at the NSDA National Tournament should be to clearly articulate your position and educate your audience about the topics that you drew. 1 It is my hope this topic area analysis, which will provide an overview of significant issues for each of the thirteen topic areas, strategy tips, and practice questions, will assist in your preparation for the NSDA National Tournament. I would highly recommend giving thirteen practice speeches, one on each topic area, before going to nationals. I would also highly recommend structuring your practices to replicate the endurance that you will need for the tournament. For the first three days you are going to be expected to give four speeches, usually two hours apart from each other. Having practice sessions where you do this, especially between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m, the hours between which you will deliver your first twelve speeches of the tournament, would be wise. I would also advise extempers to check out last year’s topic area analysis in addition to this year’s. The NSDA has a tendency to recycle some topic areas, so comparing advice given in last year’s brief with this year’s will allow you to see how the world has changed between 2014 and 2015 and possibly assist in your analysis of the issues. Topic Area #1: Africa Issues In last year’s topic area analysis, I made the statement that Africa is “a story of potential and chaos” and that theme still resonates for this year’s NSDA National Tournament. The African continent has the world’s youngest population, is witnessing continued population growth relative to other parts of the world, and is rich in raw materials. It is also in close proximity to other main arteries of the global economy, notably Western Europe, India, and the Middle East. However, the borders left by European colonialists, the inability of post-colonial leaders to construct viable states, and pressures of population growth have undermined the continent’s ability to become an economic juggernaut.