Samford University
CA101 Fall 2011
Dr. Ken Kirby

Debate

On Wednesday and Friday, Nov. 28 and 30, you will debate in your groups on the topics you have selected.  There will be a group grade for each debate team (pro and con) and an individual grade; these will be weighted at 50% each.  I will moderate the debates.  Each team will make an opening statement and will have the chance to refute the other team's opening statement.  From there each team will proceed by turns, refuting the arguments of the opposition and introducing new material.  Each team will then have time to prepare a brief summary and closing statement.  The debates should last about 25 minutes (for a five-person group), enough for about 5 minutes participation from each member.  Each team will be required to compile a bibliography of 25 sources from all categories of information--books, scholarly and trade journals, news media, web sites, and general reference sources; all members of the group should contribute equally to this bibliography, which will be part of the group grade.

Team grading criteria:
All members of the team participate equally and cooperatively, working together to assert their claims and to refute the opposition's claims
The team is clearly prepared and knowledgeable about the topic
The team practices the principles of argumentation--ethos, logos, and pathos; contextualization; audience awareness; other

Individual grading criteria:
Each person has good posture and appropriate movement, expressive face and voice, clear diction, and makes regular eye contact with other debaters and the audience
Each person has appropriate prepared material but also reacts on the spot to statements of the opposition (i.e., you must "think on your feet" when appropriate)
Each person contributes to the team effort by supporting and, when necessary, correcting other team members
Each person uses word choices and sentence structures that are clear and appropriate in tone


Reflection paper

On Friday, Dec. 7, a paper of 1000-1200 words (approx. four typed, double-spaced pages) will be due in my e-mail by 1:00 p.m.  As always, name the file with your SU e-mail address and REF.  There will be no research for this paper; you will merely reflect on a variety of things about your first semester in college.  Also as always, I will grade the paper on its ideas, organization, style, and use of conventions.  (NOTE: On the last day of class, you will do on-line evaluations of CA101 as a course and me as your instructor; that is not the purpose of #2 below.  The reflection is to be focused on yourself, taking inventory of the current state of your knowledge, skills, attitudes, etc.)

Topics for reflection:
Keeping in mind the need for a unified paper, reflect on several, though not necessarily all, of these things:
1. What you learned about yourself from the literacy narrative in CA101 or other assignment in another course, or from extracurricular activities in college, including dorm life and recreation
2. What you learned about your study habits, knowledge of libraries, of style and grammar etc. from CA101 and other courses, and what skills you want to continue to improve
3. What you learned about your attitude toward society, government, religion, and/or other things as a result of preparing your persuasive paper/speech and debate
4. What you learned about your possible major and even your potential life after college
If there are other things you want to reflect upon and write about, run them by me--I will probably approve.

Daily schedule:
Nov.  5   Review--group work; principles of argument and debate (bring all books); select debate topics
Nov.  7   Bring computers to class; in groups, begin collecting your 25 sources and compiling the bibliography
Nov.  9   Conferences in teams, pro and con; bring computers for further research

Nov. 12   Guide to Writing 679-689; reflection papers--discussion and in-class writing
Nov. 14   Stylistics--sentence structure, avoiding sentence faults; scan Parts 3 and 4 in handbook
Nov. 16   Debate bibliographies due for editing; further preparation on debates

Nov. 19   Practice debates, all groups
Nov. 21-23 THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY

Nov. 26  Reports on reflection papers; in-class writing; final debate preparation
Nov. 28  Debate
Nov. 30  Debate

Dec.  3   Drafts of reflection papers due for peer editing
Dec.  5  Conferences
Dec.  7  Evaluations--bring computers and drafts of papers (papers due 1:00 p.m.)