Institute Course Descriptions

Institute Course Descriptions

 

SUMMER COURSES:  $295.00 for half day (choose one class) or $395.00 for full day (choose two classes)

(Some courses only offered in am.  Varies by year and enrollment.  The last Friday of each camp is our tournament with a special schedule--all students must arrive by 8:00 am and are dismissed at 2:00 pm)

  

LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATE -- Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 12:00 pm or 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

The Lincoln-Douglas Debate class will be a combination of lecture, student activities, and debates. Lectures will include topic analysis, argumentation and organizational strategies, logic, use of evidence and various debate strategies. Activities will consist of primarily of rebuttal, delivery and cross-examination drills. Students will debate every day beginning the third day of camp. Classes will be divided between advanced and beginning students.

Rules: Lincoln Douglas debate is one on one argumentation in which the debaters try to convince the judge of their side of the proposition of value. Since this event deals with propositions of value, the debates do not advocate establishing a new policy or changing an existing policy.

Format: Each speaker has an equal amount of time to persuade the judges.

Affirmative Constructive............... 6 min

Cross-Examination by the Negative............... 3 min

Negative Constructive............... 7 min

Cross-Examination by the Affirmative............... 3 min

Affirmative Rebuttal............... 4 min

Negative Rebuttal............... 6 min

Affirmative Rebuttal............... 3 min

Prep Time Per Speaker............... 3 min

Duties of the Speaker:
The affirmative speaker is required to support the resolution. All arguments used
to support the resolution must be introduced in the first speech.

The Negative Speaker must oppose the resolution. The negative may, or may not,
present a negative case. In either event, all argument against the resolution must
be presented in the first speech. NO NEW ARGUMENTS ARE ALLOWED IN
REBUTTAL SPEECHES.

Both speakers bare the burden of CLASH in rebuttals. Each must speak to their
opponent position in the debate. Rebuttals are to expand and extend issues
which the speaker has already raised during the constructive speech. New
evidence is allowed in rebuttals, as long as it is being used to support arguments
which were introduced in constructive speeches.

Determining a winner: Lincoln Douglas is debate over values. Since it is impossible to
prove a value the decision should be to the debater who best upholds their side of the
resolution though effective analysis, evidence, reasoning, refutation, and delivery. In
Lincoln Douglas debate, logic and persuasion are stressed.

PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE -- Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 12:00 pm or 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

This class has been added to our summer debate program by popular demand. This class will follow much of the same format as the Lincoln-Douglas Debate class but with much less emphasis on research and case development. All arguments and evidence must be based on common knowledge and prepared immediately before the round.
This class is strongly recommended for middle school students as an excellent and less rigorous introduction to debate and for high school students planning on participating in this event next season.

Rules: Parliamentary Debate occurs between a pair of two person teams. 30 minutes before each debate round begins, students are given a topic to prepare a debate on. At Golden Gate Speech Association league tournaments, the topics for the four rounds fall into one of four categories: Policy, Values, Factual or Student-Selected. One team will uphold the resolution or statement of the topic; this team is called the Proposition. The team who argues against them is called the Opposition. There are six speeches given in the debate round; four constructives and two rebuttals. One student on each team gives a constructive speech and a rebuttal speech, while the other student gives one constructive speech.

All speeches given in a parliamentary debate round are unscripted; students may use notes and materials to prepare, but no outside quotes are read during the debate round. During the constructive speeches, debaters from the team that does not have the floor may request that the speaker yield the floor for a 15-second "point of information," which can be a question, comment or argument. The speaker who has the floor may choose whether to yield the floor for the point of information.

PUBLIC FORUM DEBATE -- Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

This class is designed for high school students and those students entering high school.  Public forum debate is similar to Parli Debate in that students debate with a partner.  Public Forum debate puts much more emphasis on evidence and prepared cases.  Students are given Public Forum resolutions in advance and expected to prepare research and cases.  At the camp, students will research and debate one topic in great detail.  The same topic will be used for the end of camp tournament.

This class will be a combination of lecture, student activities, and debates. Lectures will include topic analysis, argumentation and organizational strategies, logic, use of evidence and various debate strategies. Activities will consist of primarily of rebuttal, delivery, cross-examination drills and practice debates. 

STUDENT CONGRESS (Congressional Debate)-- Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 12:00 pm or 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

The student congress class will be a combination of lecture, student activities, and speeches. Lectures will include instruction in parliamentary procedure, current events, organizational strategies, topic analysis, use of introductory material, and rhetorical devices. Activities will consist of delivery and presentation drills. Students will participate in an ongoing mock congress beginning the second half of the first week. Legislation will be taken from past tournaments and bills written by students during class. Classes will be divided between advanced and beginning students.

Rules: A Student Congress is modeled after the procedure for floor debate in a legislature. It is designed to test a student's ability to speak to an issue in both an extemporaneous and impromptu manner and to reveal the individual's knowledge of parliamentary procedure. Bills and resolutions to be debated are determined in advance, and students are given time, usually 4-6 weeks to prepare to speak on these issues.

Student Congress should be viewed as a process that includes argumentation, analysis, questioning, clash of ideas, and delivery. A thorough knowledge of parliamentary procedure should be reflected in each speaker's courtesy and decorum. Judges should evaluate or rank speakers based on the speaker's overall contribution to the debate rather than as an oratory contest.

A student presiding officer will run each session. In order to speak or ask a question, a congressperson must be recognized by the presiding officer. All speeches should be delivered from the front of the room. Each speech is limited to three minutes. In addition, each speaker is open for a maximum of one minute of cross-examination. Notes and prepared material are allowed in delivering speeches. Visual aids and props are NOT allowed.

GGSA league tournaments have three 90-minute sessions. Tournament judges rank students in each session. The students with the lowest total ranks at the end of the third session receive awards.

EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING-- Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

The extemporaneous class will be a combination of lecture, student activities, and speeches. Lectures will include current events, organizational strategies, topic analysis, use of introductory material, and rhetorical devices. Activities will mainly consist of delivery and memorization drills, organizing and filing newspaper and magazine articles and fact finding games. Students will deliver extemporaneous speeches every day beginning the second day of camp. Classes will be divided between advanced and beginning students.

Rules: Each student has thirty minutes to prepare a speech on an assigned topic. The preparation is done prior to arriving in the contest room. Topics are drawn from current events, and two types of extemporaneous speaking are conducted ?International Extemp (international affairs) and National Extemp (domestic affairs).

PREPARED SPEECH  (informative or persuasive)-- Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

The prepared speech class will include instruction in the following types of prepared speeches for use in high school speech competition: expository, advocacy, and oratory. The speeches are 8-10 minutes in length with no more than 150 words of quoted material.

In class students will take notes on speech writing techniques, participate in activities, and work on the various elements of preparing their speeches including: topic selection, research, brainstorming, and writing and revising their speeches. Activities include improvisational games and delivery drills designed build to confidence, poise, and self esteem.  Includes the following types of speeches:

EXPOSITORY SPEAKING
Rules: The student gives a speech to inform the listeners about a subject of interest. Students are encouraged, but not required, to use visual and/or audio aids. Specific Rules: The subject and writing must be based on genuine facts or published material. Clothing necessary to the speech must be added and removed during the course of the presentation; the contestant shall wear no costumes. No live animals are permitted. No other person may assist in the setup of the presentation.

ORIGINAL ORATORY
Rules: The student gives a speech to generate interest or concern about a subject. The speech is persuasive in nature. All facts, quotes, stories and other supporting material must be properly cited. Props and/or visual aids may not be used.

ORIGINAL ADVOCACY
Rules: The student gives a speech that advocates a specific public policy or proposes legislation (local, statewide or federal). Props and/or visual aids may not be used. The student must specify the policy proposed and the agency that should adopt the policy.

INTERPRETATION-- Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

The interpretation class will include instruction in the following types of interpretation for use in high school speech competition: humorous, dramatic, duo interpretation. The speeches are 8-10 minutes in length with no more than 150 words added to the original material.

In class students will take notes on interpretation techniques, participate in activities, and work on the various elements of preparing their interpretations including: piece selection, cutting the piece to fit time limits, memorizing, and developing characters, voices, and mannerisms. Activities include improvisational games and delivery drills designed build to confidence, poise, and self esteem.  Includes the following types of speeches:

DRAMATIC INTERPRETATION
Rules: The student gives an interpretation performance (maximum 10 minutes) of all or part of a dramatic piece of published writing. The contestant must state the title and author of the piece; failure to do so results in the lowering of one rank. Specific Rules: Selections must be chosen from a published writing. Contestants must remain standing throughout the presentation. Neither costumes, nor props are permitted. Singing and dancing are permitted.

HUMOROUS INTERPRETATION
Rules: The student gives an interpretive performance of all or part of a humorous piece of published writing. All rules are the same as for Dramatic Interpretation.

DUO INTERPRETATION
Rules: Two students give an interpretation performance of all or part of a humorous or dramatic piece of published writing. The performance must begin and end center stage. During the performance, off-stage focus (meaning contestants may not look directly at each other) must be employed by both contestants; during presentation of narration, introductory and/or transitional material, eye contact should be made with the audience. The contestants may not directly touch each other. Each of the two performers may play one or more characters.

PUBLIC SPEAKING-- Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 12:00 pm or 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

This class is designed as an introduction to public speaking for middle school students and younger high school students not preparing for speech competition. Students will follow much of the same curriculum as the Prepared Speaking class but speeches will be half as long (3-5 minutes) with a much greater flexibility in choice of topics. Speeches can either be informative or persuasive.

During class students will take notes on speech writing techniques, participate in activities, and work on the various elements of preparing their speeches including: topic selection, research, brainstorming, and writing and revising their speeches. Activities include improvisational games and delivery drills designed build to confidence, poise, and self esteem.