Foreic: Tne Sevtles: a :Etrospective
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OCUMEHT 2E1=2.E ED 202 046 CS 503 338 :AUTHOR LL1L, Ed. :=1117 Foreic: tne SevtLes: A :etrospective. IJSTITDTION Delta ma ahc-Tau Alph:., Lawrence, Kans. 77B DATE 79 T:TE 71p. :..7.0RNAL CIT Speae: a el; v17 11 Fall 979 7:3S PRICE EF01/1,'..03 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Debate: 'Lduc_zticnal Tr=nds; *F. Advisers; E lgher .71-(1=aticn: PerszLsiveDiE.7our-.; *Speech Comm' peech 7:truct::n7 ABSTRACT 16 a=t±c-les _ntL urnal ism le identify a.na assess chance an c;ants in i_zterco:legiatefcr.a:sics during th- decade of tie 19-0s. tIr.r-icles give varying perzectf.reson the significance of --_he and t:ce .sob:_ra range :7: concern for , tenure for the e.-na-7 forna.-:.7 of ar 7.__tation thecry within the deba5: Reproductions supplied by .DRSare the best-that can he made from the criginal document., ******44***************=*************************************** 'I U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER tERICI This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. i Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. o Points of view or opinions stated in this docu ;fent do not necessarily represent official NIE position or Policy. FORENSICS IN THE SEVENTIES: A RETROSPECTIVE This special issue of Speaker and Gavel is devoted to a backward-glance over the decade just ending in the hopes of identifying and assessing change and constants ininter- collegiate forensics. "PERMi3SION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY Bill Bal dirop TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." VOLUME, 17 1111111LIE,P 1 rAtt, 19T9 6 speakoz andgavel. Official publication of Delta Sigma RhoTauKappa Alpha National Honorary Forensic Society PUBLISHED AT LAWRENCE, KANSA Ey ALLEN PRESS, INC. Second-class pose. =e. paid at. Lawrence,Kansas. S.A. 66044 Issued quarterly in Fall, Winter, Sprng and Summer.The Journa; ::arries no paid advertising. NATIONAL OFFICERS OF DSR-TKA President:JACK HOWE, California State University,Long Beach Vice President:DAVID A. THOMAS. Auburn University Secretary:BER TRAM W. GROSS. Marshall University Treasurer:ELAINE BRUGGEMEIER. Loyola University Trustee: WAYNE C. EUBANK, University:ofNew Mexico Historian:JOHN A. LYNCH, St. Anselm's College REGIONAL GOVERNORS, MEMBERS ATLARGE, AND REPRESENTATIVES Regional Governors: JOHN A. LYNCH, St. Anselm's College; JAMES J. HALL,St. John's University; HALFORD RYAN, Washington andLee College; KASSIAN KOVALCHEK, Van- derbilt University; ROBERT 0. WEISS, DePauwUniversity; VERNON R. McGUIRE, TexaS Tech University; DONN W. PARSON, University of Kansas; LARRY SCHNOOR, MankatoState University; WAYNE CALLAWAY,University of Wyoming; JOHN DeBROSS, Southern California. University of Members at- Large: TOM KANE (Past President),University of Pittsburgh; JAMES A. JOHN- SON. The Colorado College; tylf0HAEL M.OVERKING, Fairmont State College. ACHS Representative:JAMES H. McBATH, University of Southern'California. Representative on SCA Committeeon Intercollegiate Debate and Discussion: GREG, St. John's University. JOHN EDITORIAL BOARD ROBERT J. BRANHAM, Bates College; SKIP COULTER, Samford University; JOAN DONOVAN, St. Lawrence University; G. THOMAS GOODNIGHT, Northwestern University; SIDNEY R. HILL, JR., Mississippi State University; THOMASJ. HYNES, University of Louisville; ANITA Ohio University; JAMES A. JOHNSON, JAMES, The Colorado College; CHARLES KAUFFMAN,University of Virginia; LUCY KEELE, CaliforniaState University, Fullerton; JAMES KLUMPP, Nebraska; JOHN T. MORELLO, James Madison University of University; LARRY SCHNOOR, Mankato State University; JOHN SCHUNK. Wichita State University;BARBARA WARNICK, Tulane University; ROBERT 0. WEISS, DePauw University; MARILYNYOUNG, Florida State University. EDITOR BILL BALTHROP, 115 Bingham Hall, 007A,University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North olina 27514. Car- ne ker gave V ol u m No. 1 7r.'RENSICS IN ssux ecollt the chic fbrensics duringle. de- elide of th stiesc! 1g:L -.--mtiments and feelings ,pride at .ueing ,q1 in sp.. The ch.: were st'Caly in the early and slide. sev- enties, the:-.as an a- -.novation. Debate, for exumple, witnessed ;,-;Aly -tan :ew types of case structirzes,. re- fleeting so: 1:ticateci nu.rns to justify adoption of thereso- lotion. Coot:ersy tig the cases and concepts (alternative justification, iditio .. ant md attitudinal inherency were three of the most c,17.1-0Ver,ii11. .calthy intellectual debates about the merits and 1. 0. :als. The result was an enriching of the literatur- Jet ut and debate. Enclorseir1:1 Of th-:- -t, :....ion debate format resurrected an al- most-fbrgottt tleb;;,:e :-o-introduced intercollegiate advocates to the art ofskim ms :brill of analysis and refutation in a debate. The cinerzence o: ng by Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha and, later, by -;ss -nation Debate Association, provided an alternati--2.t:an the sin ue;:t wh, ;reference was for questions of value and increas.el_-_einphasi; upon cur- tnicative style. National --liunanicu for juin();crsity and novice debaters provided extra incen fbr th ass - seasonsmembers of many squads. The 19-, -,:as an ----ilarating ; acle for those involved in individual vents A fle; ding cctiv catered the decade rather timorously. 1 Many cle_-n:nuients ,T,eeelt cc nunication had never heard of the ac- tivity. By p-nd ,lecade, . ,wever, individual events would be the most por of fo-,-,. :2 events, :evolving the majority of students who participa- orer. :c,at any given weekend. Two n- ;;(,- . ;al events tournaments have come to fruition dur- ing the t. krefiecta different concepts of how a student qualifies for nationa rovidimg a healthy means for directors of individual events program- Men.-the national tournament via a decision of which to attend. hu t :hod or more universities attending each national, both the al Fe cusie Association tournament and the American Fo- rensic tc tnainent appear healthy and vital at the end of the decade. J:i.nes A. net: k Professor a:A limner Director of Forensics, Department of Speech and 'FIR... Ball State University. .11 2 SPEAK. t ,AVEL The proliteration of iudiviclual participants generatedundreds Of nev touriunnnts throughout 0 lion, expansion of existifp_ individ- nal events tounti:tnh (such a:; 4 DSR-TKA) and Sp twin..the ad- dition of rue. even,at :er-dinner speaking, eism, informant a and dramatic intrprc:ation. By tilt end ofiulecade, he yrIticism of indivich:.,' cvt-ntswas prompt:11g occa, la', articles %yin lined to define or t-ori.tt, about someit the in:.:dual events a:it: begun to stimidat:Iiinights of empiric.a1 rest nu) the activit The rog,rani status peed] C011inil;1111, ASSOCIa- tionl"11'entlt important rof ifidiVid}lai iits as the deem:-Irew t (Sc i Not char ere for the 1970s, howevSignificant cause- r onerged and, tt.. been ineffectivtly confront- ed. T.:- will constitute Cue r. _ Alder thris pizryiew by one who program invok lebate..and individual events thirin_ Ili iid sounding bk. prophet or an mnidebate ,liscuss what I p, . iiethe..challenges facing de- Irate . the decade. I, pc:- cl that debate can be one of the n it vehicles to teach it research, to develop quick, (Alec- :se and refutation of ide al d, yes, to. facilitate effective tries for an advocate. It I `_tat debate has experictlyeel a significant. decline inpop- ohm 1It have muncrotis debate and tourn:onents. tended, but yl ornament with few ",--tionsdraws -my a .fraction of 0. attending. While th are many mid varied,' a sad fact .hat ..._-bate community, if espouseto the problem,is gin! zic name-calling, rade. attempting to clime to grips wits can, of the problem, Frank -cc is nodialogue_betweenthe' di% t (}1 debateOnly pse, .1;:logne. It omit:o the complaint that .tee is no longer locuring upon con: ication kills, the reply is tha ate-is an "elitist game of infor:-.- mat: )ro_... not nnt01(a ning." (How in the world does one onnething if it isn't car IT:iinicated clearlyor if it is coin- time ed intruncated form which a few canror at lea.st claim to-- um( out?) But to tell someone wh in't understand that they should lea. e activity is, ultimately, eating. It leads to restricting the imp of the activity to only a few. ,;nd ina day when departments of spe, communication (who still sp, usor most ofour programs) arc be- gin!.:2 to "hite.the bullet" on budge. ts, this makes debate an easy target for fr.lancial cuts. "Co refuse a dialogue on the issuedelivery, unorthodoxcases, what- everby opting for "other forms of debate for those who ob';2.ct-is not only to avoid the issue but to divide the debatecomumnity at a time when it desperately needs a united front. Debate should not be thought ofas an elitist activity. It should not because that type of thinking makes the "elitist" unduly confidentof the soundness of his/her practices as a debateror coach. Those who disagree with the elitistare automatically discredited as unknowledgeable; rec- ommend-ed changes are perceived asmore divergent from current prac- tices than they actually are (what Sherif, Sherif and Nebergall wouldcall the Latitude! of Rejection in action)! I'm suggesting, then, thatdebate should not he afraid to debate itself. SPEAKER AND GAVEL 3 Thinking of debate as an -elitist" activity also fosters the acceptance of practices which...mild not be tolerated in a non-game environment. This is to say that it is not unreasonable to want to know complete sourcing fOr one's evidence; it is not unrealistic to expect that the evidence, as read in the debate (rather than from cards after the roam!) be self-evident and clear; and one is not unjustified to expect that a parameter, voted upon befOre the season begins, ought to define the resolution. To reply that there must be something wrong with those who feel this way is to.evade the issue.' A complaint of many is the method by which the debate resolution is selected.