Saturday, July 30, 2005

Miami Debate Institute - 5 Week Workshop - Class of 2005

Congratulations to our first class of students - they all put forth a tremendous effort over the last five weeks. We wish them the best of luck in the upcoming year.


























Friday, July 29, 2005

The Final Round

In the final round Alec and Stefan were affirmative running their Korematsu affirmative, Chris and Priya were negative.

The negative ran Test Case Specification, Topicality (substantial authority), a Constitutive Criminology kritik, and an EU-China arms sales disadvantage. They ultimately went for topicality in the 2NR.

The teams split the two faculty judges (Kenda Cunningham and Ben Voth) leaving the decision up to the student panel. On an 8-5 decision the negative won.

Congratulations to Priya Parikh and Chris Barnett for winning, and also the other finalists, Alec Wright and Stefan Jiang.

Steve Mancuso

Semi-Final Results

Alec and Stefan defeated Viki and Kate on a 3-0 decision.

Alec and Stefan were affirmative running a Korematsu affirmative, with advantages on Racism, Deference and Policy Simulation good. Viki and Kate ran Topicality (Korematsu was charged), a Terrorism DA, a Biopower kritik, and a four-minute case attack. They went for the DA and K in the block and the Biopower K in the 2NR. The affirmative won on a permutation, link turns, framework and a solvency deficit for the alternative. Several judges felt that Alec's cross examination of Viki was the most effective they had seen at the workshop.

Chris and Priya defeated Kurt and Abe on a 2-1 decision, where both lab leaders voted for the winning team but the student vote went 8-1 for the losing team.

Kurt and Abe were affirmative running an Enemy Combatants affirmative with a New International advantage. Chris and Priya ran Topicality (authority), a Biopower kritik, an EU-China Arms Sales disadvantage, and a Terrorism disadvantage. They went for everything in the block except for the Terrorism DA. The 2NR went for topicality and the kritik. The negative won on topicality.

Thursday, July 28, 2005

Tournament Results

The following teams cleared at the tournament:

Alec Wright (Centerville, OH) and Stefan Jiang (Chattahoochee, GA)
Abe Corrigan (Glenbrook South, IL) and Kurt Woolford (Wichita East, KS)
Kate Carter (Claremont, CA) and Viki Henning-Smedja (Carrollton, FL)
Chris Barnett (St. Johns, OH) and Priya Parikh (Princeton, OH)

Congratulations to them and all other teams who demonstrated outstanding improvement throughout the summer. The debates at the tournament were excellent and the competition close but very friendly.

Tomorrow's elimination rounds begin at 9:30 a.m. in Bachelor Hall.

Steve Mancuso

Go Reds!


Last weekend the Miami Debate Institute visited Cincinnati to watch the Reds club the Brewers 11-6. During the 7th inning the scoreboard announced to the entire stadium that the Miami Debate Institute was visiting for the night. Everyone had a great time watching the Reds (finally) win a game.

-mdm










Tuesday, July 26, 2005

The Final Workshop in a Workshop: Roger Solt, University of Kentucky



To conclude the "workshop-in-a-workshop" format at the Miami Debate Institute, Roger Solt, legendary debate coach at the University of Kentucky made a two-day visit to Oxford this past week. He lectured and conducted strategy exercises covering advanced theory issues and also how to defeat critical arguments. Roger should know, he's been one of the top college coaches for over twenty years, having coached 5 NDT Top Speakers, a NDT National Champion and in 2003 an NDT runner-up.

Roger’s initial lecture on theory outlined the development of theory as a debate argument. He then tied this lesson into practical advice on topics such as conditionality. Roger then developed a comprehensive take on dispositionality, including a theory that constructed an “affirmative dispositionality” and “negative dispositionality”.

The lecture on winning against critical arguments covered the different theoretical strategies the affirmative can employ against kritiks - on such topics as permutations, fiat, conditionality of alternatives, and advocacy-inclusion theory. Using examples from the civil liberties topic, Roger illustrated how an affirmative could use their case for link-turning, permuting, or impact-turning kritikal arguments.

Each of the institute participants then prepped and gave an extensive speech responding to the negative Critical Legal Studies kritik (a common kritik on this year’s topic). These speeches were delivered in the Miami Institute small-group Speaking Clinic format. The workshop then reconvened as a whole as all the lab leaders and Roger provided insight and feedback.

Roger’s lecture concluded the workshop in a workshop series at the Miami Debate Institute. We would like to extend thanks to Roger, Will Repko and Dallas Perkins for helping the Miami Debate Institute become the first institute with a unique “workshop in a workshop” format.

-mdm




Sunday, July 24, 2005

Politics, Presidential Powers and the Executive Order Counterplan



Last week Steve Mancuso, debate coach here at Miami University, conducted a coaching session on how to run a strategy featuring the Executive Order Counterplan, the Presidential Powers disadvantage and the Politics disadvantage (something he apparently referred to as the “Clinton disad” on occasion). Steve is one of the nation's experts on this strategy - it having been a central part of the success of the 25+ teams he has coached to the elimination round of the NDT.

"Does the plan legally bind future Presidents?" he suggested as the important cross-examination question to ask to set up this strategy. Steve then offered alternatives based on how the AFF answered this question.

For the "Clinton" disad, Steve went though the different link, internal link, and turn arguments the negative must have ready for every round on this year’s topic. He also talked at length about how to run politics disadvantages against plans that use the Supreme Court as the adoptive agent.

Why the "Clinton" DA? It's not because the lecture is 5 years too late...it's three years ahead of its time!

-mdm


Another Birthday Celebration

Last Thursday the Miami Debate Institute celebrated Kaitlyn Haynal's birthday. The entire lab attended a birthday party in the basement of Reid hall. Although there were no clowns in attendance (at least in appearance), there was a piƱata of Sponge-bob square pants. It only took a few swings from the birthday girl to have sponge bob in pieces. Following sponge bob taking flight, there was a movie in the basement until room check. Everyone had a great time.