Team Debate Project (5%)

Debate Date:  10/18/06 and 10/20/06 as assigned.

General Guidelines:

• On or about Friday, 9/22/06, I will assign groups of approximately 6 people per group. I will have the final say over the assigned debate topics, but students will have much input over this process.

• There will be four groups in total.

• Debates will take place over two class periods, so two groups per class period will debate each other.

General Guidelines

 

• Each member of the respective debate teams will speak individually for three and a half minutes. For example, we will begin with three and a half minutes from the first person on team 1, then go immediately to the first person on team 2, and then immediately to the second person on team one, then immediately to the second person on team two, and so on until everyone on both teams has presented for three and a half minutes each.

• There will also be a set of final remarks from each team. And because team one has the opening remarks, they will also have the first final statement and team two will then have the final word.

Grading Breakdown:

• Of the 5% possible for this assignment, 3% is earned on your individual three and a half minutes, and 2% is earned as your team grade. I will decide which team has won the debate, and the winning team can expect a higher grade for the 2% team grade.
  
  Requirements:

• Team members should immediately exchange contact information, arrange a time to meet, and elect a team captain. The team captain is simply responsible for the following: on the day of the debate give me a sheet of paper with the names of all team members and the order in which they will speak. The order in which people speak should be arrived at by consensus. As soon as the team captain has been determined, the captain should send me an email informing me of the decision.

• The team should also reach consensus on who will deliver the final remarks.

About Your Team's Final Remarks:

• Final remarks are one minute long.

• Final remarks are graded as part of the 2% earned as your team grade.

Strategies:

• Certainly your individual remarks should be persuasive in swaying the audience over to your team's point of view on the assigned topic, be your assigned position pro or con.

• Moreover, strong presentations will engage outside resources. This class is, of course, research-driven; it would be a rather wise move to research some articles on your topic and quote them.

• Do not read from a prepared script. Rather, you should approach your presentation as though you are speaking extemporaneously. Notes are certainly a good way to go.
  
  Further Requirements:

• At the end of class each person who engages outside resources will turn in a pocket folder with a copy of each article engaged, which means the entire article. Each article should be stapled together with your first and last name written on the front page. Highlight the sections of the article that you plan to quote or paraphrase.

• Of course, there will be class time devoted to discussing this project. I am also available for questions via E-mail, office hours, and gladly by appointment.

Debate Date:  10/18/06 and 10/20/06 as assigned.