Divisions
Current Competitive Events Available at Northview:
→ Debate: Policy, Lincoln Douglas
→ Speech: Congressional Debate, Original Oratory, Impromptu, Extemporaneous, Informative, Dramatic Interpretation, Duo Interpretation, Humorous Interpretation, Program of Oral Interpretation
Policy
Policy debate is a competitive two v. two activity in which teams debate over hypothetical government action. There are two sides - the affirmative and negative. The affirmative proposes a plan that is supposedly topical under the resolution in which the United States federal government enacts a policy. The negative provides reasons why passing the plan would be a bad idea or supports a better alternative.
Debaters learn extensive evidence application, research, and various argumentation and writing skills in fast-paced competitions. Certain areas of learning may involve not only key policy issues and international relations, but also deep philosophical concepts and applications related to the topic.
Lincoln Douglas
Lincoln Douglas is an individual debate event (1 v. 1) heavily centered around morals and philosophy. It is a question about what “ought” to be done. The topic changes every two months including questions regarding the right to housing, whether to extract fossil fuels or other resources, how the United States should act in terms of criminal justice, and other key issues.
Speech
Speech events are divided into two categories: Platform and Interpretation. Platform speaking involves event categories such as speaking on the spot (impromptu and extemporaneous) and prepared speeches (original oratory and informative). Interpretation events remind a lot of individuals of theatre. Competing in categories such as Humor, Drama, DUO, and POI, students trim down a work of literature, movie script, play, book, or other materials into a "piece." Students then perform their piece including all of the chosen characters interacting with each other.