Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons^™

Taking The Journal To The Digital Age, Todd T. Holm

Speaker & Gavel

Editor's introduction and comments to Spring 2016, volume 53, issue 1 of Speaker & Gavel.

Dsr-Tka: Rolling With The Times, Ben Walker

Speaker & Gavel

Introductory address from Professor Ben Walker, President of Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha, on the future of DSR-TKA.

Complete Volume (41)

Speaker & Gavel

Complete digitized volume (volume 41) of Speaker & Gavel.

Points Of Stasis In The 1960 And 2000 Presidential Debates, Kevin Stein

Speaker & Gavel

The clash component of a presidential debate sets it apart from other types of campaign messages because the candidates are faced with a potential for “imminent rebuttal” not found in other types of messages, such as television spots or stump speeches. This study is a rhetorical analysis of the 1960 and 2000 presidential debates and attempts to identify the specific points of stasis (clash) where two arguments meet. These points of stasis are labeled in the classic rhetorical theory literature as conjectural, qualitative, definitional, and translative. The study tests the application of these categories as a precursor to future research …

Monticello’S Master: Sally Hemings And The Deconstruction Of The Patriot Archetype, Betsy Mccann, Desiree Rowe

Speaker & Gavel

We explore the above discrepancy by posing the question: How does the Sally Hemings controversy work to deconstruct the popular conception of Tho-mas Jefferson as American Patriot through the use of converging and conflicting frames? Kenneth Burke’s concept of poetic framing may be used to help answer this question, as Burke asserts history may be socially constructed via poetic frames which reject or accept a given social order or expectations. Historical figures are constructed as heroes, such as Abraham Lincoln, or as buffoons, such as Benedict Arnold, representing the choice to accept or reject the status quo. Burke asserts frames …

Maintaining Institutional Power And Constitutional Principles: A Rhetorical Analysis Of United States V. Nixon, R. Scott Medsker, Todd F. Mcdorman

Speaker & Gavel

In examining these implications we argue that the Court’s Nixon decision was a uniquely strategic response to a complex rhetorical situation. In fact, the elements of the situation were so fundamental to the tenor of the Court’s response that this essay’s framework is drawn from Lloyd F. Bitzer’s construction of the rhetorical situation. The use of this system will allow for deeper consideration of the context of United States v. Nixon as well as assessment of the legal text as responsive to that context.

Complete Volume (42)

Speaker & Gavel

Complete digitized volume (volume 42) of Speaker & Gavel.

To Answer, Or Not To Answer - That Is The Question Of The Hour: Image Restoration Strategies And Media Coverage Of Past Drug Use Questions In The Presidential Campaigns Of Bill Clinton And George W. Bush, Shari Veil

Speaker & Gavel

This study analyzed the relationship between image restoration strategies and media coverage, specifically, the image restoration strategies utilized by Bill Clinton in 1992 and George W. Bush in 1999 in response to questions of past drug use and the ensuing media coverage during the respective campaigns. A literature review of political apologia and image restoration strategies is presented, followed by potential explanations for the extensive media coverage of the drug issue. Articles published in 7 newspapers during the respective political campaigns were retrieved and textually analyzed to determine the candidates’ image restoration strategies. The reported presidential comments were then critically …

Winning The Peace: The "Three Pillars" Of George Bush At Whitehall Palace, Terry Robertson

Speaker & Gavel

The November, 19, 2003 speech given by George W. Bush at Whitehall Palace in Great Britain was one of the most significant in the President’s political career. Mr. Bush attempts, in the speech, to reinforce his proponents as well as negate the arguments of his skeptics. This work illustrates, through Neo- Aristotelian rhetorical criticism how the President met the rhetorical situation, how he utilized language and rhetorical devices, and critiques the means of persuasion utilized by Mr. Bush.

Nothing More Than A White Lie: An Examination Of Ethics In Extemporaneous Speaking, Ric L. Shafer

Speaker & Gavel

The majority of text books in public speaking define extemporaneous speaking as the act of delivering a speech using limited notes. Despite what we teach in our classes, however, cultural norms in competitive speech tend to reward those students that compete in the event without the use of notes. Recent research highlights erroneous source citations and outright fabrications by contestants, many of which can be attributed to the unspoken expectation that students refrain from using notes. This paper attempts to challenge that norm by questioning the educational benefits of teaching, promoting and rewarding this practice. The paper will compare what …

Kritiking As Agrumentative Praxis, Joseph P. Zompetti, Brian Lain

Speaker & Gavel

Controversies in the realm of academic debate are often assessed with the standards used for other social science confrontations. The notion of paradigms, introduced by Thomas Kuhn (1970) to describe scientific revolutions, provides a starting point for analyzing the current conflict over kritiking. Despite this, previous discussions concerning the so-called “kritik” have focused mainly on whether it should be considered a legitimate argument form in contemporary policy debate (Berube, 1996; Katsulas, 1996/1997; Morris, 1996/1997). In this way, these discussions have become embroiled in a back-and-forth squabbling. Overcoming the tendency to steadfastly proclaim the legitimacy/illegitimacy of kritiks as an argument form …

Third Party Candidates In Political Debates: Muted Groups Struggling To Express Themselves, Carolyn Prentice

Speaker & Gavel

With the rise of a multitude of political parties, some campaign debate organizers are beginning to include third party candidates in their public debates. However, these third party candidates have been ignored in campaign debate literature. This study analyzed the transcripts of three campaign debates that included third party candidates, using muted group theory to understand the impact of third party candidates in campaign debates. The analysis demonstrates that third party candidates experience the communication obstacles of muted groups.

Since World War II, party affiliation among U.S. voters and straight-ticket voting has been on the decline (Miller & Shanks, 1996). …

Complete Volume (43)

Speaker & Gavel

Complete digitized issue (volume 43) of Speaker & Gavel.

Conflating Rules, Norms, And Ethics In Intercollegiate Forensics, Crystal Lane Swift

Speaker & Gavel

This paper explores the concepts of rules, norms, and ethics as they pertain to intercollegiate forensic competition. The perspective is taken that these concepts tend to be conflated. Definitions of rules and ethics are drawn primarily from the National Forensics Association (NFA). The pertinent literature is reviewed, methods are explained, and results are reported and discussed. The conclusions pertain to the idea that forensics coaches and students alike are hesitant to accept universal rules and ethics, and prefer more contextualized standards. Suggestions for future research are also offered.

A Functional Analysis Of Non-Presidential Primary Debates, William L. Benoit, Jayne R. Goode

Speaker & Gavel

Despite the fact that political debates are increasingly common at all levels of government, relatively little work investigates the content of non-presidential debates (and work on primary debates is even less common). This study breaks new ground by analyzing four non-presidential primary debates. Two Democratic gubernatorial debates, one Republican U.S. Senate debate, and one Republican U.S. House debate were content analyzed using the framework of the functional theory of political campaign discourse. Overall, these debates were mainly positive, with 71% acclaims, 22% attacks, and 7% defenses. The Democratic (and gubernatorial) debates had more attacks and defenses and fewer defenses than …

Complete Volume (44)

Speaker & Gavel

Complete digitized volume (volume 44) of Speaker & Gavel.

Giving Voice To The Wild: The Rhetorical Legacy Of Sigurd Olson And The Singing Wilderness, Brant Short

Speaker & Gavel

In this study I will examine Olson‘s first and most notable work, The Singing Wilderness, published in 1956. This book became a standard work of the period, it established Olson as a national leader among American conservationists, and most significantly, it served as a rhetorical blueprint for others who were greatly inspired by Olson‘s personal quest to understand the natural world on its own terms. In this essay, I will describe Olson‘s status among scholars and provide a biographical overview of significant events in his life. Next I will analyze The Singing Wilderness as a rhetorical text which established Olson‘s …

Finding An Acceptable Definition Of "Original" Work In Platform Speeches: A Study Of Community College Coaches, Crystal Lane Swift, Gary Rybold

Speaker & Gavel

The quantitative analysis of this paper was undertaken to discover coach definitions of "original work" in platform speaking in the community college forensics competition. A survey was conducted to determine if there was any consistency to coaching practices when considering a recent rule change requiring that all platform speeches be the original work of the student. Although the literature review indicates that academia has established guidelines for plagiarism and unattributed collaboration, no such consistent definition was found among the coaches surveyed. The discussion of the results revolves around the conclusion that coaches are consistent in their own practices but those …

Newspaper Coverage Of U.S. Senate Debates, William L. Benoit, Corey Davis

Speaker & Gavel

Political debates are important message forms, capable of informing and in-fluencing voters. However, news coverage of debates informs and influences both those who watch, and those who do not watch, the debates. This study compared the content (functions and topics) of 10 U.S. Senate debates from 1998-2004 with the content of newspaper articles about those particular debates. Newspaper coverage of debates was significantly more negative than the debates themselves, reporting a higher percentage of attacks and a smaller percentage of acclaims than the candidates employed. The newspaper articles also stressed character more, and policy less, than the candidates. This journalistic …

On The Conversational Style Of Ronald Reagan: "A-E=[Less Than]Gc" Revisited And Reassessed, Windy Yvonne Lawrence, Ronald H. Carpenter

Speaker & Gavel

During contemporaneous rhetorical criticism of his style in discourse, President Ronald Reagan was assessed in terms of his living up to the eloquence of John F. Kennedy‘s Inaugural Address. In those two Speaker & Gavel Essays, Reagan was found to be deficient and thus a "less-than-great communicator." After revisiting and reassessing those two essays, Reagan‘s essentially conversational mode of communication for television was found to embody rhetorical elements that indeed may have fostered eloquence sufficient to retain the sobriquet of "great communicator."

Complete Volume (45)

Speaker & Gavel

Complete digitized volume (volume 45) of Speaker & Gavel.

Editor's Section: A Guide To Scheduling The Afa-Niet, Daniel Cronn-Mills

Speaker & Gavel

At the request of the DSR-TKA executive board, this article is presented in Speaker & Gavel so the AFA-NIET process explained here has a permanent record in forensic archives.

Revisiting Cicero In Higher Education Cultivating Citizenship Skills Through Collegiate Debate Programs, Annette Holba

Speaker & Gavel

Higher education is in the midst of a paradigm shift from the Professing Paradigm to the Learning Paradigm approach in pedagogical strategies. The Learning Paradigm privileges a co-producing of learning between the student and the teacher. This essay argues that collegiate debate programs can be one example of the Learning Paradigm engagement that also helps to cultivate the Greek and Roman ideal of citizenship in students. Ciceronian rhetorical theory explains how citizenship skills are developed through collegiate debate practices.

Intertextuality And Apologia: Rhetorical Efficacy Through Shared Values As Illustrated Through The Firing Of Coach Bobby Knight, Karen L. Hartman

Speaker & Gavel

This study uses the firing of Coach Bobby Knight from Indiana University as a case study in order to analyze the rhetorical efficacy of adapting to the audience‘s shared values through attendance to the intertextual context. By adhering to the intertextual context, Knight successfully played on certain audience values and beliefs and, as a result, managed to repair his image and help save his career. Knight‘s farewell address invoked the themes of hard work, family, and thankfulness. This study extends Achter‘s (2000) and Ware and Linkugel‘s (1973) research in apologia in order to emphasize the importance of the intertextual context.

"I Am A Candidate For President": A Functional Analysis Of Presidential Announcement Speeches, 1960-2004, William Benoit, Jayne R. Goode, Sheri Whalen, Penni M. Pier

Speaker & Gavel

This study investigates the nature of presidential announcement speeches, messages that introduce the current crop of contenders for the White House to voters and the news media. Announcement speeches are typically voters‘ initial exposure to these politicians as candidates for the White House. Seventy-five presidential announcement speeches from 1960 through 2004 were analyzed with the Functional Theory of Campaign Discourse. Acclaims were over three times as common as attacks; defenses were quite rare. Republicans and winners were more positive than Democrats or losers. These speeches were evenly split between policy and character. Democrats discussed policy more, and character less, than …

Editor's Special Section-Larry Schnoor: A Celebration Of His Impact On Intercollegiate Forensics, Richard Paine, Karen R. Morris, Daniel L. Smith, R. Randolph Richardson, Joann M. Edwards, Daniel Cronn-Mills, Larry Schnoor

Speaker & Gavel

This panel is honoring Professor Larry Schnoor for his lifelong contribu-tions to Intercollegiate Forensics. National Individual Events Tournaments have continued to flourish under his direction. In addition, his constant mentoring has guaranteed the life of this activity. Panelists will describe Professor Schnoor‘s impact on the AFA-NIET, NFA, IOC and both his mentoring of forensic coaches and programs. Professor Schnoor will help to clarify and add to this oral history.

Complete Volume (46)

Speaker & Gavel

Complete digitized volume (volume 46) of Speaker & Gavel.

A Response To White, Erin Conner

Speaker & Gavel

If someone were to have asked me in the spring of 2008 if I thought that I was providing an honest and reliable interpretation of my communication analysis model, I would have said yes. Several months removed from the speech community, my answer remains the same. This letter is my response to Dr. Leah White‘s criticisms of my interpretation of I Lose, Therefore I Think: A Search for Contemplation Amid Wars of Push-Button Glare by Shuen-shing Lee—the article that served as my communication analysis model (Conner, 2008). I hope that this letter provides a more in-depth justification of my interpretation. …

Distortion In The Description Of Scholarly Research Methods In Competitive Forensics, Leah White

Speaker & Gavel

Specifically, in this article I am concerned with our expectations regarding how students select and apply "methods" to their chosen topics. I argue that due to artificial expectations dictated by the unwritten rules of the event, students are not able to engage in accurate application of their selected scholarly articles. I will develop this argument by examining four communication analysis speeches presented in final rounds at the AFA-NIET to determine how accurately these students explain and represent their selected scholarship. I conclude the essay by offering suggestions for how we can encourage students to incorporate rhetorical theory into speeches in …

New Wine In Old Wineskins: Questioning The Value Of Research Questions In Rhetorical Criticism, Richard Paine

Speaker & Gavel

Recent years have seen a trend toward the inclusion and heightened valuing of research questions in competitive Rhetorical Criticism (Communication Analysis). The inclusion of this content element is quite a new phenomenon on the national-level competitive circuit. In fact, the absence of such research questions in competitive speeches was highlighted by Ott as recently as 1998. But by 2007-2008, the inclusion of a research question was established as essentially de rigueur for a vast number of judges. For example, consider the ballots received this past year by a competitively successful rhetorical criticism entry I coached. At one tournament, all five …