Syllabus – Debate 1
www.westwooddebate.org
Westwood Debate 2011-2012
Mr. Martin – Rm. 923
Introduction
Dear Parents and Students,
Welcome to the Westwood Speech and Debate Team! This document is intended to provide an overview of the
competitive team’s purpose and activities as well as our policies and expectations for student participation.
Debate is a highly demanding and remarkably rewarding activity. Students that commit to debate as their primary
extracurricular focus will learn more through this activity than they ever could imagine. Students will spend hours
researching complicated topics, discussing arguments with their teammates, and performing hundreds of public
speeches over the course of a year. Teamwork, hard work, respect, and responsibility are at the core of our
mission and I look forward to teaching these values to all of students involved in Westwood Debate.
Overview
The Westwood Debate Team is one of the largest in the nation! On average, there are about 90 ‘novices’ enrolled
in the Debate 1 class and about 60 varsity members split between the Debate 2, Debate 3, and Independent Study
in Speech classes. Along with Mr. Martin, there are 2 school sponsors, Ms. Bass and Ms. Spanko, who help with
the team’s travel. Additionally, the team is supported by 4 assistant coaches who are hired by the booster club and
countless Westwood Debate Alumni who support the team in numerous ways.
The focus of all debate classes is tournament competition. As you will notice with our tournament calendar,
Westwood attends debate tournaments practically every weekend of the year from September through March. We
strive for excellence in all competitive debate circuits from local competitions (UIL), to state competitions (Texas
Forensics Association, or TFA), to national competitions (Tournament of Champions, or TOC).
Westwood participates in 4 different styles of debate: Policy Debate, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Public Forum
Debate, and Extemporaneous Speaking. There are many resources online and on the team’s website that describe
all of these styles of competition. Students will learn and practice all 4 styles of competition in Debate 1 class.
Students that find their passion in debate and choose to continue as varsity members can take Debate 2
(sophomores) and Debate 3 (juniors and seniors) for Policy Debate, and Independent Study in Speech for the
other 3 activities.
Parent Involvement
Parents are strongly encouraged to take an active role in their child’s involvement in debate. Simply put, the
debate team could not function without strong parent support and involvement.
Many students, especially those enrolled in Debate 1, want to keep their parents as far away from tournaments as
possible! But, don’t be fooled, there are many avenues for parents to help support their children in debate.
The primary avenue is through the Westwood Speech and Debate Booster Club. The Booster Club is a parent-run,
501(c)3 non-profit organization, that supports the debate team through fundraising and tournament logistics.
There are many ways to get involved in the booster club from volunteering for a leadership position to simply
donating money through the United Way.
Also, given the prohibitive cost of renting buses, we rely on parents to provide transportation to every tournament.
Parents are encouraged to carpool and communicate about which tournaments they are available to drive to so that
the responsibility can be spread equally amongst all families.
For more information, please visit the booster club website at www.westwooddebate.org and contact our copresidents, Shyla Kumar and Dianne Ferguson.
Westwood Debate 2011-2012
Mr. Martin – Rm. 923
Debate Tournaments
Syllabus – Debate 1
www.westwooddebate.org
Debate tournaments are what most students love about debate! Tournaments provide students the ability to take
all of the practice and preparation that the team works on in class and match it up against debaters from other high
schools. The thrill of winning, the humility losing, and the camaraderie of helping your teammates is what
motivates students to work hard, learn, and succeed!
Westwood has an extensive travel calendar that includes tournaments almost every weekend of the school year. It
is my firm belief that debate tournaments are one of the most rigorous and rewarding education experiences that
students can participate in and I am committed to giving students that opportunity to participate in them.
Students and families should understand that tournament travel is a privilege and not a right. If a student is
working hard, completing assignments, and positively contributing to the debate team there will be many
opportunities for them to compete at debate tournaments throughout the year. Schools that host debate
tournaments do place limits on the number of students that Westwood can send to participate on any given
weekend. Given the large size of the Westwood’s debate team students will not always be able to attend every
single tournament and the most exclusive tournaments will be reserved for the team’s most competitive and
hardest working individuals.
Student officers
There are many opportunities for students to take on leadership roles within the debate team. The most formal and active
leadership opportunities are the Student Officer positions. Each year, students will have the opportunity to campaign for a
leadership position and all returning debate students will be able to vote for their leaders.
Student officers form the core of the Westwood Debate experience by organizing the important assignment, logistics, and
social activities for the team.
This year’s officers are:
President: Jackie Chen
Extemp Captain: Pia Sur
LD Captain: Jessica Jiang
PF Captain: Victoria Fung
Senior VP: Jacob Loehr
Junior VP: Dohun Kim
Sophomore VP: Rohit Mucherla
Secretary: Kayleigh Ferguson
Treasurer: Rohan Reddy
Novice Coordinator: Zofia Yellin
Closing Remarks
Thank you for taking the time to read this handbook! I understand that there is quite a bit of text in the following pages, but it
is all there for a reason: to set clear and high expectations for student performance so that each debater can achieve their
personal goals and contribute to the success of the entire team!
I am greatly looking forward to another year of intense learning, teamwork, and competition with Westwood Debate! It is my
goal to provide students with the skills and resources to be critical thinkers, curious learners, ethical decision-makers, and
great debaters!
Sincerely,
Jeremy Martin
Director of Forensics
Westwood High School
Syllabus – Debate 1
www.westwooddebate.org
Westwood Debate 2011-2012
Mr. Martin – Rm. 923
Syllabus – Debate 1
A. COURSE DESCRIPTION
Debate 1 is an elective course for students interested in learning about interscholastic debate
competition. We will practice at least four formats of debate competition including: Policy Debate,
Public Forum Debate, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, and Extemporaneous Speaking. Through these debate
formats we will study a wide range of topics including public policy, philosophy, rhetoric, current
events, and public speaking.
The purpose of this class is to use the format of debate competition to teach the skills of critical thinking,
academic research, ethical decision-making, and public speaking. Students will work as a team to
develop these skills and use their knowledge to be competitively successful at interscholastic debate
tournaments.
Attending debate tournaments is NOT a requirement for this course, however students that DO attend
tournaments generally will have more fun and will achieve better learning outcomes as these
competitions provide the context for classroom activities. Additionally, students that wish to continue
into more advanced debate classes must compete at a minimum of 2 tournaments during the year.
B. GOALS
The 3 goals that we will use throughout the year to focus our efforts and attention on our team’s
competitive success are:
1. To pursue EXCELLENCE in debate preparation and competition
2. To enjoy LEARNING as a team
3. To enhance our COMMUNICATION skills through dialogue and debate
C. CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS
My primary expectation for students is to be prepared to learn and to contribute to your teammates
learning. This classroom is where the ideas and practices for success at debate tournaments occur and
any behavior that impedes the pursuit of excellence in debate will not be tolerated.
1. Be respectful – The very nature of debate requires that all students feel comfortable sharing their
opinions, experiences, and beliefs when discussing debate strategy, controversial issues, and teamwork.
Debaters should actively promote their teammates’ participation in class and success at tournaments.
While respect is a general attitude that guides an individual’s choices, I will note several specific
expectations:
- Respect for others – Profane, racist, sexist, and homophobic language will not be tolerated at
any time. Students should refrain from arrogant, demeaning, or selfish behavior.
-
Respect for class discussions – much of our classroom activity is based on productive group
discussions. The collective understanding of arguments, strategies, and assignments is
essential for tournament success and can only occur when all members participate. Students
should refrain from side-conversations, cross-talking, and inattention (even if you’re talking
about debate) to respect the right of all students to learn.
-
Respect for the classroom – The debate room is a great space for students to work in
throughout the school day, but it is also Mr. Martin’s office. Students should clean up after
themselves and push in their chairs prior to leaving the classroom. Students will lose their
privilege of eating and drinking in the classroom if they cannot clean up after themselves. If
Westwood Debate 2011-2012
Syllabus – Debate 1
Mr. Martin – Rm. 923
www.westwooddebate.org
you borrow supplies from Mr. Martin put them back where they came from. Finally, personal
items should only be left in the room for the day that you need them stored.
2. Be prepared for learning– Students should come to class with materials, assignments, and attitudes
necessary for the day’s activities. It is a privilege to be able to take a debate elective and students should
maximize their use of class time by always taking notes, actively listening, and critically thinking.
3. Be responsible – As a debater you will have to juggle many balls between your academic, personal,
and debate obligations. You must manage your time wisely and make choices that will help you
accomplish your goals in all areas of your life. Be honest with yourself, your parents, your teammates,
and your teachers about your need by taking responsibility for these choices. Plan ahead, communicate
early and often, and behave in a way that helps others build trust in your character and commitment.
D. GRADING
Grading will follow RRISD and Westwood HS guidelines. Students will receive rubrics outlining
expectations prior to assignments. Grades will be distributed in the following 3 categories:
- Daily grades 40% (quizzes, class notes, practice ‘flows’, current events talks, homework)
- Major grades 50% (tests, practice debates, research assignments)
- Participation grade 10 % (students who receive a 100 in this category will demonstrate the following
behaviors: positively contribute to class discussions and provide constructive feedback to team
members; never delay classroom activities due to lack of preparation, tardiness, or misbehavior; never
be negative, demeaning, or disrespectful to any team member; always clean up after themselves; always
follow all of Westwood HS and RRISD rules including use of cell phones; will not work on homework
or assignments from other courses during class time.)
E. TEXTBOOK
There is no textbook for this course. As a result, class notes will be extremely important. Students are
expected to bring their spirals to every class, practice, and tournament.
F. MATERIALS
All students are expected to bring the following materials by the second day of class. If financial or
logistical issues may prevent you from acquiring any of these materials PLEASE LET MR. MARTIN
KNOW and he will be happy to get them for you.
1. One spiral notebook – at least 200 page count to be dedicated SOLELY to debate
2. 2 Ink pens (2 colors, one of which should be black)
3. A box of kleenex for class use
G. TEAM POLICIES
Students are reminded that Westwood Debate functions as a TEAM. Your behavior at school and at
tournaments contributes to the reputation and success of ALL members of the team. A good reputation
is very difficult to earn and easy to lose. No single individual on the team has the right to hurt the
reputation of its members. Violation of any team policy, negative attitudes, and disruptive behaviors are
not in the best interest of the group and will result in restriction of tournament privileges, lower
participation grades, and/or dismissal from the team.
Students are strongly encouraged to confidentially communicate any of their concerns with Mr. Martin
as soon as they arise. If you feel that a teammate has violated a policy, it is in the best interest of the
team that I am informed and can take corrective action.
Westwood Debate 2011-2012
Syllabus – Debate 1
Mr. Martin – Rm. 923
www.westwooddebate.org
1. DISTRICT RULES - The use of any tobacco products, alcohol or illicit/illegal drugs is strictly
prohibited. Students must adhere to all Round Rock ISD and Westwood High School rules at all times,
including travel to and from tournaments.
2. WESTWOOD UIL TOURNAMENT - All students enrolled in debate must help host the annual
Westwood UIL Invitational Tournament in February. All varsity members must participate in at least 2
other fundraising activities throughout the year.
3. ACADEMIC PRIORITIES - While winning debates should be your top extracurricular priority, this
goal is secondary to your academic obligations. Westwood is a highly demanding high school that
requires dedication, focus, and excellence in every class. Students are responsible for communicating
early, often, and respectfully with their teachers when missing class for tournaments. Since students will
always know well in advance the dates that they will be attending tournaments, debate competition is
never an acceptable excuse for late or insufficient schoolwork. Additionally, students are expected to act
as exemplary representatives of the debate team at all times – skipping class, cheating, and inappropriate
behavior are all grounds for disciplinary action with respect to debate travel and privileges.
4. EVIDENCE SHARING - Sharing or trading any debate evidence and/or strategies with any other
school without prior approval of your coach is grounds for dismissal from further competition.
Additionally, Westwood students are not permitted to use evidence from other schools without the
express permission of their coach.
5. COMMUNICATION WITH OTHER TEAMS - Discussion of any of Westwood’s assignments,
arguments, strategies, and teammates with any person outside of Westwood is strictly prohibited. Online
request for citations from competitors must be limited to email correspondence and should not occur
through social media. It is important to make friends with debaters from other schools, but while
competing against them at tournaments your priority is your team. Socializing should be limited until the
end of competition.
H. TOURNAMENT POLICIES
1. SIGNUP - Students are responsible for signing up for each tournament in a timely manner through the
Westwood Debate Forums. Registration due dates are available on the tournament calendar. Late
registrations will not be accepted.
2. COMMITMENT and DROP FEES - Commitment to attend the tournament is made when the student
registers on the forum. Registering on the forum does not guarantee that the student will be invited to
attend the tournament; it simply indicates your ability and willingness to participate. Any student who
withdraws their registration after they have signed up for the tournament must pay the initial entry fee
plus any drop fees or late charges. All fees must be paid even if another student substitutes for the drop.
The only exception that will waive a student’s responsibility for these fees is a family emergency.
3. DRESS CODE – Professional dress is important for every competitor. Perception is reality and judges
want to vote for debaters that they perceive take competition seriously. The student dress code will be
enforced at all tournaments and any student in violation of the dress code will be withdrawn from
competition and become responsible for all fees associated with their removal:
All – Jeans, hats, and flip-flops are never acceptable tournament attire.
Boys – Slacks, dress shirts, belt, and ties. Socks and close-toed shoes, no white socks with
professional clothes. Coats are not necessary unless you are competing in Extemporaneous
Speaking. To reemphasize: BOYS MUST WEAR TIES at all competitions.
Girls – Blouse with a conservative neckline and skirts that are at least knee length. Professional
Westwood Debate 2011-2012
Syllabus – Debate 1
Mr. Martin – Rm. 923
www.westwooddebate.org
pants suits are also acceptable. Professional dresses are permitted if length and cut are
appropriate. Students competing in Extemporaneous speaking are advised to err on the side of
more formal attire such as the pants suit.
4. TEAM WORK – The Westwood Debate Team is only as good as each individual member. Every
debater should actively support fellow squad members throughout tournament competition:
a. ALL students are expected to stay at a tournament at least one round past their elimination.
Students must observe and flow a full elimination round. Exceptions to this rule will only be
made for out-of-town tournaments and local tournaments that are later than 8:00pm on Saturday.
Leaving a tournament without observing an elimination round will result in a reduction in your
tournament performance grade.
b. Be a good audience member to all participants. Students will do this by watching rounds and
flowing. Never leave the room during a round unless you are cross-entered. Do not talk or pass
notes.
c. In preparation for elimination rounds all Westwood students are expected to remain with the
team to share information.
5. PRACTICE - After-school practice sessions are a prerequisite for tournament competition. Students
that regularly miss after-school practice sessions should not expect to be invited to tournaments. You
must sign-in to be credited with attendance. You represent all of Westwood Debate in every one of your
rounds – it is essential that you prepare for excellence.
6. TIME – Students should arrive at least 10 minutes EARLY to all debate obligations; this includes
debate rounds, transportation, and practice sessions. Attendance at local tournaments is from
approximately 3:30 p.m., Friday, until midnight, and from 7:00 a.m., Saturday until after the Westwood
competitors are eliminated from competition, which is typically around 10:00pm. The booster club will
distribute information regarding out-of-town tournaments.
7. TRANSPORTATION - All permission forms must be turned in prior to the tournament.
A. Carpooling – Parents are encouraged to help split the responsibility for local tournament travel
by organizing carpools. For example, one parent could drive a group of kids on Friday and a
different parent could drive on Saturday. When the booster club assigns carpool seats, students
ARE NOT PERMITTED to change seats without direct permission from Mr. Martin or a debate
team sponsor.
B. Leaving early – Students will complete their tournament obligations at different times throughout
the day on Saturday and some may want to leave the tournament early. Students must tell Mr.
Martin or a debate sponsor DIRECTLY prior to leaving the tournament early. If the student was
in a carpool without their parent, they must also inform the carpool driver prior to leaving.
Finally, students are only allowed to leave early after observing at least one elimination round.
C. Local Tournaments (Austin Area) - Parents must provide transportation to all tournaments in the
Austin area.
D. Out-of-town Tournaments - The booster club will organize transportation for out-of-town
tournaments. Parents are strongly encouraged to volunteer to help drive for out-of-town
tournaments. When returning from out-of-town tournaments, students are required to call their
parents 30 minutes prior to their arrival at Westwood and parents should be available to pick up
child in a timely manner.
8. ATTENDANCE - Decisions regarding which competitors will attend tournaments are left strictly to
the discretion of the coaches.
Westwood Debate 2011-2012
Mr. Martin – Rm. 923
Syllabus – Debate 1
www.westwooddebate.org
9. PARTNERS - Decisions regarding debate partners will be made exclusively by the coaches.
10. ELIMINATION ROUND CONFLICTS - In tournaments that do not break brackets for elimination
rounds, the decision concerning which team advances will be made by the coaches. There is no formula
for determining which team advances, however the following factors will be considered: seeding,
seniority, need for qualification points, likelihood of winning the tournament, and work ethic.
11. CONCEDING DEBATES - Westwood students are not allowed to concede or intentionally lose a
debate round under any circumstances. Doing so is grounds for probation from tournament competition.
12. MEAL MONEY - Almost all tournament costs are underwritten by Westwood High School and the
Booster Club. However, meal money must be provided by the student. Out-of-state tournaments require
more significant financial contributions due to the travel and lodging costs. Each student will write a
check of a predetermined amount to the Westwood Speech and Debate Boosters. These costs will vary
from one tournament to the next. Students must provide meal money for out-of-state tournaments as
well.
13. MANDATORY ATTENDANCE FOR QUALIFIERS – students that qualify for TFA state, UIL
regionals or state, NFL Nationals, or the TOC are required to compete at those tournaments. Extreme
circumstances that may prevent a student from attending these tournaments will be discussed on a caseby-case basis.
14. BEHAVIOR - Your behavior is observed by judges and other squads. NEVER speak negatively,
“bad mouth”, or gossip about other teams, competitors, or judges. Always be quiet in areas where
competition is taking place. Respect, neatness and friendliness are qualities we wish to communicate.
No abusive or profane language will be tolerated. Arguing with judges is the coaches’ job, not the
students’. Finally, clean up after yourself. Any food you eat or waste you create is your responsibility to
dispose of.
15. REPUTATION - Westwood High School has an outstanding reputation among schools locally and
nationally and I intend to keep it that way. The tradition of excellence both in performance and attitude
is your debt to those who came before you and your legacy to those who come after you. Any problems
that occur at tournaments should be reported to the coach quickly and calmly. Be responsible.
I. OVERNIGHT TRAVEL POLICIES
Attending any tournament is a privilege; attending tournaments that require an overnight stay require
exceptional responsibility and impeccable student behavior. To ensure student safety, all overnight
travel rules will be strictly enforced. Students that deviate from these rules will not be invited to attend
out-of-town competitions.
1. ADULT INSTRUCTIONS - Students will immediately follow instructions given by coaches and
parent chaperones. Students are not allowed to debate decisions made by adults concerning time of
departure, food, or any reasonable request.
2. ROOM ASSIGNMENTS – Students will be assigned rooms by gender. Room assignments are firm
and student cannot change their room without being directed to do so by a coach.
3. ROOMS and ROOM CHECK- students must be present and on time for nightly room checks. After
the coach has completed the room check, students are not permitted to leave their room for any reason.
Westwood Debate 2011-2012
Syllabus – Debate 1
Mr. Martin – Rm. 923
www.westwooddebate.org
In the event of an emergency, students must call the coaches room. Students of the opposite gender are
never permitted to be in the same room alone. Westwood students are never permitted to enter the room
of students from another school and vice-versa. Westwood students should exercise common sense in
social situations at tournaments. No Westwood students are allowed to be anywhere near other
competitors that are engaging in negative or illicit behavior.
4. SLEEP – students frequently desire to stay up late at overnight tournaments, typically to work on
debate, but occasionally just to hang out with their roommates. There is no amount of work that you can
do in a single night that will overcome your inability to function in the morning. Students should
respectfully observe ‘lights out’ times given by the coaches. Students should ALWAYS respect their
roommates right to sleep.
5. RESPECT THE HOTEL – a maid’s job description does not include cleaning up microwaved gummy
bears or soda stains. You should take care to leave your hotel room clean and neat. Any damages caused
to the hotel will be the responsibility of all the students in the damaged room. Additionally, you are not
the only guest in the hotel; noisy and disruptive behavior is unacceptable.
6. ROLL CALL – students must be present and on time for morning roll call. Students that are late for
the bus or their carpool will be left at the hotel and picked up at the earliest convenience of a coach or
parent. Students must wait in the hotel lobby and will be responsible for any fees associated with their
drop from the tournament. No single student has the right to imperil the ability their teammates to make
their competitions on time.
7. ENFORCEMENT – In the event of a major offense or persistent misbehavior, the student will be sent
home immediately at the parent’s expense and will be removed from the debate team.
Westwood Debate 2011-2012
Mr. Martin – Rm. 923
Syllabus – Debate 1
www.westwooddebate.org
J. Student and Parent Signature page
I, ___________________________________________________(PRINT NAME)_, have read the
Westwood Debate Syllabus, Team Policies, Tournament Policies, and Overnight Travel Rules. I am
fully aware of and understand the policies as articulated and promise to abide by them fully. If I violate
said policies, I understand that disciplinary action, resulting in possible suspension from travel and
team privileges, or dismissal from the team and class, will result. I also understand that violating any
Westwood High School or Round Rock ISD rule will result in further disciplinary actions as warranted
by coaches and/or school district personnel.
Student Signature __________________________________________________
Parent Signature ____________________________________________________
Date _____________________________________________________________