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Forensics

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Articles 331 - 360 of 488

Full-Text Articles in Speech and Rhetorical Studies

Complete Issue 54(2) Apr 2018

Complete Issue 54(2)

Speaker & Gavel

Complete digitized issue (volume 54, issue 2, Winter 2017) of Speaker & Gavel.


Darron Devillez: What Forensics Did For Me, Darron Devillez Sep 2017

Darron Devillez: What Forensics Did For Me, Darron Devillez

Speaker & Gavel

ALUMNI CORNER: The forensic community is filled with alumni who will tout the benefits they received through their participation in intercollegiate speech and debate activities. As directors of forensics programs face battles for budgets and sometimes for their program’s very existence, having a collection of published testimonies about the positive influence of forensics can be a tremendous help. To that end, Speaker & Gavel is setting aside space in each issue for our alumni to talk about how forensics has helped them in their professional life. These are our alumni’s stories.


Suzanne Miller-Mcfeeley: What Forensics Did For Me, Suzanne Miller-Mcfeeley Sep 2017

Suzanne Miller-Mcfeeley: What Forensics Did For Me, Suzanne Miller-Mcfeeley

Speaker & Gavel

ALUMNI CORNER: The forensic community is filled with alumni who will tout the benefits they received through their participation in intercollegiate speech and debate activities. As directors of forensics programs face battles for budgets and sometimes for their program’s very existence, having a collection of published testimonies about the positive influence of forensics can be a tremendous help. To that end, Speaker & Gavel is setting aside space in each issue for our alumni to talk about how forensics has helped them in their professional life. These are our alumni’s stories.


Justifying Debate As “Cerebral Gymnastics” And As “Glorification Of The Experience Of Play”: An Alternative To William Hawley Davis’S Rejection Of The “Debate As Gaming” Vision For Debate, Matthew P. Brigham Sep 2017

Justifying Debate As “Cerebral Gymnastics” And As “Glorification Of The Experience Of Play”: An Alternative To William Hawley Davis’S Rejection Of The “Debate As Gaming” Vision For Debate, Matthew P. Brigham

Speaker & Gavel

William Hawley Davis’s “Is Debate Primarily A Game?” (1916) represents an early, prominent effort to justify academic, intercollegiate debate and also, indirectly, societal debate. Davis sharply rebukes those who would conceptualize and/or practice academic debate as if it were a game, arguing instead for a version of debate that more closely approximates real democratic deliberation and thus cultivates the training necessary for meaningful public participation on serious issues. This essay explores other possible justifications for debate, including those that might re-claim play, game, and/or sport. Such alternatives suggest the importance of conceiving debate beyond tragic frames and Platonic Truth claims, …


What Traits Are Learned?: Determining The Levels Of Argumentativeness And Verbal Aggressiveness In Competitive Parliamentary Debate, Lisa Leigh Roth Jan 2017

What Traits Are Learned?: Determining The Levels Of Argumentativeness And Verbal Aggressiveness In Competitive Parliamentary Debate, Lisa Leigh Roth

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Competitive parliamentary debate is a popular and important form of debate in the United States. This study surveyed individuals who competed, and individuals who have never competed, in parliamentary debate were surveyed to understand if parliamentary debate increases argumentativeness and decreases verbal aggression in students who competed in the event. When it comes to verbal aggressiveness, competitive parliamentary debate participants did score lower in verbal aggressiveness then those who have not competed in parliamentary debate. However, there was not a significant difference in verbal aggressiveness with those who have more parliamentary debate experience and those with less experience. Additionally, competitive …


Toni Dach: What Forensics Did For Me, Toni Dach Oct 2016

Toni Dach: What Forensics Did For Me, Toni Dach

Speaker & Gavel

ALUMNI CORNER: The forensic community is filled with alumni who will tout the benefits they received through their participation in intercollegiate speech and debate activities. As directors of forensics programs face battles for budgets and sometimes for their program’s very existence, having a collection of published testimonies about the positive influence of forensics can be a tremendous help. To that end, Speaker & Gavel is setting aside space in each issue for our alumni to talk about how forensics has helped them in their professional life. These are our alumni’s stories.


Nate Dendy: What Forensics Did For Me, Nate Dendy Oct 2016

Nate Dendy: What Forensics Did For Me, Nate Dendy

Speaker & Gavel

ALUMNI CORNER: The forensic community is filled with alumni who will tout the benefits they received through their participation in intercollegiate speech and debate activities. As directors of forensics programs face battles for budgets and sometimes for their program’s very existence, having a collection of published testimonies about the positive influence of forensics can be a tremendous help. To that end, Speaker & Gavel is setting aside space in each issue for our alumni to talk about how forensics has helped them in their professional life. These are our alumni’s stories.


An Inductive Approach To Communication Analysis, Thomas Duke Oct 2016

An Inductive Approach To Communication Analysis, Thomas Duke

Speaker & Gavel

ALUMNI CHALLENGE: Forensic alumni can be a tremendous to individual programs and the activity as a whole. While we commonly ask alums to judge at tournaments or maybe even speak at a year-end banquet they don’t get many opportunities to address the entire forensics community. Through our “Alumni Challenges” Speaker & Gavel offers our alumni an opportunity to speak to the forensic community. We encourage them to challenge us to re-examine, re-envision, and possibly re-invent the way we operate as a community.


"My College Education Has Come From My Participation In The Forensics Team": An Examination Of The Skills And Benefits Of Collegiate Forensic Participation, Kristopher Copeland, Kendrea James Oct 2016

"My College Education Has Come From My Participation In The Forensics Team": An Examination Of The Skills And Benefits Of Collegiate Forensic Participation, Kristopher Copeland, Kendrea James

Speaker & Gavel

This qualitative case study provides an intensive and holistic description of the perceived educational benefits and skills developed by students who participate in forensics. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 19 students who were in the process of competing in speech and debate. Participants discussed multiple benefits of participating in forensics, such as improving skills in public speaking, listening, organization and structure, networking, time management, group work, and increasing knowledge and broadening worldview. Additionally, participants explained how the skills developed in forensics related to educational and professional experiences. The current study adds unique value by providing a comprehensive explanation of what …


Kevin Keatley: What Forensics Did For Me, Kevin Keatley Oct 2016

Kevin Keatley: What Forensics Did For Me, Kevin Keatley

Speaker & Gavel

The forensic community is filled with alumni who will tout the benefits they received through their participation in intercollegiate speech and debate activities. As directors of forensics programs face battles for budgets and sometimes for their program’s very existence, having a collection of published testimonies about the positive influence of forensics can be a tremendous help. To that end, Speaker & Gavel is setting aside space in each issue for our alumni to talk about how forensics has helped them in their professional life. These are our alumni’s stories.


Renita Jablonski: What Forensics Did For Me, Renita Jablonski Oct 2016

Renita Jablonski: What Forensics Did For Me, Renita Jablonski

Speaker & Gavel

The forensic community is filled with alumni who will tout the benefits they received through their participation in intercollegiate speech and debate activities. As directors of forensics programs face battles for budgets and sometimes for their program’s very existence, having a collection of published testimonies about the positive influence of forensics can be a tremendous help. To that end, Speaker & Gavel is setting aside space in each issue for our alumni to talk about how forensics has helped them in their professional life. These are our alumni’s stories.


Foamcore And The Future Of Speech, Dan Hungerman Oct 2016

Foamcore And The Future Of Speech, Dan Hungerman

Speaker & Gavel

Forensic alumni can be a tremendous to individual programs and the activity as a whole. While we commonly ask alums to judge at tournaments or maybe even speak at a year-end banquet they don’t get many opportunities to address the entire forensics community. Through our “Alumni Challenges” Speaker & Gavel offers our alumni an opportunity to speak to the forensic community. We encourage them to challenge us to re-examine, re-envision, and possibly re-invent they way we operate as a community.


But What Does It Mean?: Incorporating Creative Arts Therapy Into Forensic Pedagogy, Christina L. Ivey Oct 2016

But What Does It Mean?: Incorporating Creative Arts Therapy Into Forensic Pedagogy, Christina L. Ivey

Speaker & Gavel

In an effort to demonstrate how Creative Arts Therapy (CAT), or the use of art, performance, writing, and music as a therapeutic tool, can be employed to build a repertoire of interpersonal roles for students, this paper focuses on incorporating CAT modalities within forensics coaching pedagogy. As Reid (2012) built a bridge between performance studies and forensics competition to argue for the scholarly potential of interpretation, I construct a bridge between CAT and forensics to uncover another learning moment and engage in a conversation about coaching pedagogy. Integrating a CAT foundation in collegiate forensics is a way to not only …


Creating A Healthy Space: Forensic Educators' Sensemaking About Healthy Tournament Management Practices, Heather J. Carmack Dr. Oct 2016

Creating A Healthy Space: Forensic Educators' Sensemaking About Healthy Tournament Management Practices, Heather J. Carmack Dr.

Speaker & Gavel

Organizations are increasingly becoming concerned with the health and well-being of their members. To address these issues, organizations are creating wellness initiatives. One organization concerned with the well-being of its members is collegiate forensics. Forensic organizations have been working since the late 1990s to create formal and informal wellness initiatives to address the health of students and educators at forensic tournaments. The purpose of this study is to explore how collegiate forensic educators understand and implement these initiatives and the tensions they encounter. Collegiate forensic educators who host tournaments completed an open-ended qualitative questionnaire about formal and informal wellness initiatives. …


Dsr-Tka: Rolling With The Times, Ben Walker Oct 2016

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.


Nothing More Than A White Lie: An Examination Of Ethics In Extemporaneous Speaking, Ric L. Shafer Mar 2016

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 …


Finding An Acceptable Definition Of "Original" Work In Platform Speeches: A Study Of Community College Coaches, Crystal Lane Swift, Gary Rybold Feb 2016

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 …


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 Feb 2016

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.


A Response To White, Erin Conner Feb 2016

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 Feb 2016

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 Feb 2016

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 …


Rejecting The Square Peg In A Round Hole: Expanding Arguments In Oral Interpretation Introductions, Crystal Lane Swift Feb 2016

Rejecting The Square Peg In A Round Hole: Expanding Arguments In Oral Interpretation Introductions, Crystal Lane Swift

Speaker & Gavel

This paper aims to advance the level of argument made in the introductions of competitive forensic oral interpretation of literature events. It is argued that the status quo of arguments in oral interp introductions is overall sub-par, and perhaps limited. Connections are made between the goals of the oral interpretation introduction and current work in the scholarship of historicity. Akin to conclusions performance scholars have made, it is not the truth or falsity of literature or history which is of primary concern, but rather the (potential) generative nature of literature. Just as Pollock calls performance scholars to make history go …


The Peoria Recommendations: Suggestions On Promotion, Tenure And Evaluation For Forensics Professionals, Michael Dreher Jan 2016

The Peoria Recommendations: Suggestions On Promotion, Tenure And Evaluation For Forensics Professionals, Michael Dreher

Speaker & Gavel

The AFA Policy Debate Caucus gathered in 1993 at the Quail Roost Conference to create draft guidelines that would help forensic educators obtain tenure. While the original committee consisted primarily of debate educators, the goal was to create a document that could be supported by many forensic organizations. Clearly, the Quail Roost committee was correct in calling for a document that served all of these different constituencies. However, Quail Roost (as I‘ll further refer to the document in this article) was written from a policy debate paradigm. Quail Roost was updated in 2009 by a committee chaired by Robin Rowland …


Physical Challenges In Forensics: An Autoethnography Advocating For Accommodations On Behalf Of Speakers With Physical Challenges In Competitive Speech Environments, Elise Mccauley Row Jan 2016

Physical Challenges In Forensics: An Autoethnography Advocating For Accommodations On Behalf Of Speakers With Physical Challenges In Competitive Speech Environments, Elise Mccauley Row

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The realm of competitive forensics is filled with challenges including written and unwritten rules and norms, multiple categories with different guidelines for each, a distinct culture only people intimately connected with the activity can navigate without conscious effort, and a basic knowledge of the ever-changing world of communication. For competitors who struggle with physical disabilities, the challenges are beyond daunting. Using the method of autoethnography, this paper investigates how students with physical challenges can successfully participate through accommodation and how speech coaches can advocate for their physically-disabled speakers and request and implement the best accommodations.


Help? Not If You Don’T Know What To Look For: Applying Social Cognitive Theory To Program Evaluation In Competitive Forensics, Audra R. Diers Dec 2015

Help? Not If You Don’T Know What To Look For: Applying Social Cognitive Theory To Program Evaluation In Competitive Forensics, Audra R. Diers

Speaker & Gavel

Jessica Furgerson offered an important call to action by arguing Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives should be applied as a way to evaluate research skill acquisition in forensics participation. I have used her analysis as a way to show that more than just understanding what we do (and should do) in forensics, we should use theory to guide team goal-setting and program evaluation. In addition, I have argued forensics program administrators should establish theory-based program evaluation using Bandura’s social cognitive theory to demonstrate the value forensics offers to the overall university education mission.


I Need Help Finding It: Understanding The Benefits Of Research Skill Acquisition In Competitive Forensics, Jessica L. Furgerson Dec 2015

I Need Help Finding It: Understanding The Benefits Of Research Skill Acquisition In Competitive Forensics, Jessica L. Furgerson

Speaker & Gavel

Research skill acquisition is an invaluable but under explored benefit of forensics participation. Although coaches, students, and administrators acknowledge that participants gain research skills via forensics, little is known about what these skills are and how they specifically benefit students. This paper isolates three specific research dimensions students learn while participating in competitive speech and debate: locating, examining, and applying source mate-rial. Connections are then drawn between these dimensions and the attainment of high level learning resulting in the creation of educational outcomes related to research skill acquisition via forensics. Understanding the process and importance of research skill acquisition is …


What’S In A Name? Defending Forensics: A Response To Kimble’S “By Any Other Name”, Christopher P. Outzen, Daniel Cronn-Mills Dec 2015

What’S In A Name? Defending Forensics: A Response To Kimble’S “By Any Other Name”, Christopher P. Outzen, Daniel Cronn-Mills

Speaker & Gavel

Our essay is a response to Kimble’s “By Any Other Name: On the Merits of Moving Beyond Forensics.” We argue forensics has not lost the battle for its name, since the battle does not necessarily exist. We contend changing the name is unnecessary since forensics is the most accurate label one may apply to inter-scholastic speaking and debating. Furthermore, changing the name would have considerable negative repercussions. Instead, the forensic community needs to return to its roots as educators and activists to enhance public understanding of the term to include forensic speaking and debate. We conclude the name forensics is …


By Any Other Name: On The Merits Of Moving Beyond Forensics, James Kimble Dec 2015

By Any Other Name: On The Merits Of Moving Beyond Forensics, James Kimble

Speaker & Gavel

This essay argues that the interscholastic speaking and debating activity that calls itself forensics has effectively lost the battle for its own name. As students of and experts in rhetoric and performance, members of the forensics community should be the first to recognize the importance of an undisputed name. Yet the community continues to call itself by a name that medical science has overtaken. The resulting confusion does the community no favors and weakens the activity within the academy. The essay concludes that it might be time for a new name that the activity can claim for its own.


Stressing A Developmental Approach Toward Persuasion In Interscholastic Forensics, Jim Schnell Dec 2015

Stressing A Developmental Approach Toward Persuasion In Interscholastic Forensics, Jim Schnell

Speaker & Gavel

A variety of models exist for teaching persuasive speaking to beginning speakers. A common shortcoming of models is that they require additional instruction to ensure student understanding. The Developmental Speech Sequence Model (DSSM) is an approach that can be applied effectively with beginning forensics competitors. The 10-point model described in this report is detailed but it also allows the speaker degrees of creative freedom. Forensics coaches can modify use of this model depending on the experience and skill level of the beginning competitor, allowing for a more customized approach that can benefit the student. Ten points within three sections comprise …


How Coaches Maintain The Status Quo: An Application Of Chaim Perelman’S Values And Universal Audience To Npda, Crystal Lane Swift Dec 2015

How Coaches Maintain The Status Quo: An Application Of Chaim Perelman’S Values And Universal Audience To Npda, Crystal Lane Swift

Speaker & Gavel

Chaim Perelman is explored as a rhetorically significant figure, beginning with a bit of background, delving into his theory, and finishing with some of his critics. His theories are still applicable today. All in all, Perelman is primarily concerned with the relationship between argumentation and value judgments. Overall, coaches and debaters alike could benefit from revisiting Perelman. This paper serves as a starting point to the current meta-debate over values and audiences within intercollegiate NPDA, where the same issues regarding value judgments and the universal audience are still raised.