Resources

The NAUDL has produced and Argument and Research Kit, which is designed to help debaters effectively debate and research this year’s topic –Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase alternative energy incentives in the United States.

This page contains links to the four components of the 2007/08 NAUDL Argument and Research Kit (both in Word and pdf formats):

Core Files [ Word | pdf ]

Argument Summaries [ pdf ]

Article Anthology [ Word ]

Research Guide [ pdf ]

Core File Outlines, On Case [ Word ], Off Case [ Word ]

Core File Labels [ Word ]

LogoThe Core Files and Argument Summaries help UDL teams begin the year debating, right from the start. They are written with several pedagogical purposes. First, to be a model of debate brief construction; second, to be instructional materials that promote clash-intensive and sophisticated debating as early as possible; and third, to be sophisticated, well-researched files usable all year as part of more-experienced debaters' larger files. They are designed with "clash" foremost in mind. The Affirmative and Negative arguments directly answer each other, leading to the recognition of the need to respond to one's opponent's arguments. They further prompt the analysis of evidence text - both one's own and one's opponent's - in order to resolve the crucial points of clash.

The Article Anthology collects several of the full, major articles on each of the four Affirmative Cases that are in the Core Files. Much of the evidence in the Core Files on the Affirmative comes from these primary articles. Experienced debaters well know that understanding a Case through doing original reading and (eventually) research enables superior explanation, analysis, and extension of arguments in a debate round. The Article Anthology makes this reading convenient and readily feasible for all urban debaters.

The Research Guide has sound instruction in research practices for the beginning and intermediate debater. It also has specific suggestions on where and how to research policy areas just beyond the scope of the Core Files, helping debaters take the next step, on their own, from the NAUDL debate materials to the wide world of policy research and their own argument creation.

For more resources, check out the NAUDL’s resource page.