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OpinionCategory: Opinion
Against Dogmatism In Debate by Joanne Park and Pacy Yan
The Opinions Expressed In This Post Are Those of the Author And Not Necessarily Those Of Victory Briefs. Joanne Park is currently studying philosophy and mathematics at Columbia University and competed in Lincoln-Douglas debate for Archbishop Mitty High School. Pacy Yan is currently studying philosophy and bioethics at New York University and competed in Lincoln-Douglas […]
OpinionDisclosure in Numbers by Peter Zhang
Introduction I fondly recall my first outround: it started 20 minutes after pairings were posted, and Millburn AW did not disclose. In response to their topical hauntological-feminist-counterfactuals K-aff, I read a disclosure shell and presented reasons why military conscription was a bad policy. Following the crushing defeat, I helped my opponent set up a wiki […]
Opinion, PF, ResourcesThe Dangers of Theory in Public Forum Debate by Nina Potischman and Nate Odenkirk
Nina and Nate are Public Forum debate coaches for Oakwood Secondary School in Los Angeles. Between them, they have 13 years of experience judging and competing in circuit LD and PF. Varsity Public Forum circa 2021 is little different from Novice Policy, or JV LD. PF teams have found success running hackneyed “theory,” in which […]
OpinionFive Trends Among E-Debate Competitors by Peter Zhang
Peter Zhang is a student at UC Berkeley, a former TOC quarterfinalist, and an assistant coach at The Bronx High School of Science. Edit: The author has added some updates regarding the original article which can be found here. Introduction Tournaments this season have, so far, been held exclusively online. While judging debate rounds certainly […]
Briefly, OpinionTwo Dogmas of Fiat by Jacob Nails
A. Introduction Most debate resolutions concern policies[1] that do not exist in the status quo and likely will not exist in the near future, if ever. Lincoln-Douglas resolutions in recent history have included such improbable policies as banning handguns (Jan-Feb ’16), establishing a draft (Sep-Oct ’17), and eliminating plea bargaining (Jan-Feb ’18). Debaters seeking to […]
OpinionFighting for a Place in the Room by Sophie Blake
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Victory Briefs. Sophie Blake is a trans LD debater from a small school who loves teaching and giving younger debaters access to opportunities, and coaches several small school or independent debaters. Sophie values the […]
Community, Community Resolution, OpinionGenericity on the Standardized Tests Resolution
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Victory Briefs. Jake Nebel is an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Southern California and executive director of Victory Briefs. You can email Jake here. The September–October resolution is “Resolved: In the […]
OpinionAn Open Letter About Subtle Sexism In Debate by Asher Bykov
Graphic by Grace Doyle and Areeba Amer of the Greenhill School. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Victory Briefs. Asher Bykov debated for Roslyn High School’s Speech and Debate Team for 4 years, where he held a leadership role for 3 years. Some of his […]
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