PARLIAMENTARY a.k.a. "Parli"
Based on England's legislative system, this is spontaneous debate for teams of 2. Debate teams get the topics at the competition 20 minutes before speaking in each round. During the tournament you will have 4 debates, each with a new topic and opposing competitors, and compete on both pro and con sides, alternating each round.
CHSSA Parliamentary Debate Example
Parli Basics
PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE
RESOLUTIONS
There are three types of resolutions"
Fact: These are opinions stated as facts. Example: Global warming is a hoax.
Fact Resolutions prove a statement either true or false. They are statements, and, of course, are opinions that we present as a fact. For example: "The US penny is worthless." These topics generally don't have a "This house" or designating word like "should" or "believes."
2017-18 Fact Topic Areas:
The US Economy
Higher Education
Natural Resources
Value: “This House Believes…” Example: This House believes that popularity is more important than intelligence.
Value Resolutions claim that a party ought to prioritize or weigh one thing over another or weigh two things against one another.
In the example, it's popularity vs. intelligence. The topic explicitly has two separate values.
A topic of "This house believes that popularity is most important" is confusing but also lends itself more to a fact topic ("popularity is most important"). Because these are values, the word "believes" is often used.
2017-18 Value Topic Areas:
Civil Rights
Immigration
Poverty
Policy: “This House Should/Would…” Example: This House should eliminate tenure from the all public schools.
Policy Resolutions create and defend or refute specific plans to solve a proposed problem.
Policy topics typically include the word "should" or "would," as it signifies a change in the status quo.
2017-18 Policy Topic Areas:
Science & Technology
International Trade
California Infrastructure
- Teams are composed of two partners
- The purpose of Parli is to convince a judge of your side using logic-based arguments. Parli differs from other debates in that debaters have twenty minutes before each round to prepare their arguments to completely new topics (resolutions), rather than preparing and debating just one topic for the duration of a tournament.
- Parli is the debate about common knowledge. Topics are relevant to the past few months or are about things that are in fact common knowledge to high school students.
- Debate structure
First Affirmation speech (7 minutes) -- Aff speaker 1- First Negative speech (7 minutes) -- Neg speaker
Second Aff speech (7 minutes) -- Aff speaker 2
Second Neg speech (7 minutes) -- Neg speaker 2
Third Neg speech (5 minutes) -- Neg speaker 1
Third Aff speech (5 minutes) -- Aff speaker 1
- First Negative speech (7 minutes) -- Neg speaker
- During the first four speeches, the speaker may choose to answer brief questions from their opponents, as there is no separate questioning period.
RESOLUTIONS
There are three types of resolutions"
Fact: These are opinions stated as facts. Example: Global warming is a hoax.
Fact Resolutions prove a statement either true or false. They are statements, and, of course, are opinions that we present as a fact. For example: "The US penny is worthless." These topics generally don't have a "This house" or designating word like "should" or "believes."
2017-18 Fact Topic Areas:
The US Economy
Higher Education
Natural Resources
Value: “This House Believes…” Example: This House believes that popularity is more important than intelligence.
Value Resolutions claim that a party ought to prioritize or weigh one thing over another or weigh two things against one another.
In the example, it's popularity vs. intelligence. The topic explicitly has two separate values.
A topic of "This house believes that popularity is most important" is confusing but also lends itself more to a fact topic ("popularity is most important"). Because these are values, the word "believes" is often used.
2017-18 Value Topic Areas:
Civil Rights
Immigration
Poverty
Policy: “This House Should/Would…” Example: This House should eliminate tenure from the all public schools.
Policy Resolutions create and defend or refute specific plans to solve a proposed problem.
Policy topics typically include the word "should" or "would," as it signifies a change in the status quo.
2017-18 Policy Topic Areas:
Science & Technology
International Trade
California Infrastructure