High School Debate Resources   Tags: gic, govdocs, government documents, government information connection, subjectguide  

Each year the NFHS Speech, Debate & Theatre Association (NFHS SDTA) announces a national high school debate topic. According to 44 U.S.C. 1333, the Library of Congress is responsible for preparing compilations of pertinent excerpts, bibliographical references, and other appropriate materials relating to the annual topic. The compilation is then printed as a Senate document and disseminated by the Government Printing Office. This page lists the compilations that have been disseminated since 1996.

Browse by topic (National Service, Volunteerism, Peace Corps, Armed Forces, etc.) or perform a keyword search. Provides an excellent overview of the topic, presenting a balanced view of all issues involved, a background of the issue, and a bibliography of sources for further research.

The "Wikipedia of debate and reasoning," this free "wiki" encyclopedia of debates, arguments, cases, supporting evidence, and debate-related materials is built by you, the citizen-activist-editor. It is a project of the International Debate Education Association (IDEA) and Georgetown University students and grads. Debatepedia is a way for citizens to frame issues they care about so that they can deliberate effectively and act and vote confidently and with conviction. It is also a way for you to create briefing-quality pro/con articles that will be read by leaders and staffers (most of whom are in their twenties and who use Wikipedia to brief legislators) and to influence legislation and policy outcomes.

Links to policy papers, statistics, and research reports. Also includes a topic overview. Browse by subject areas such as Civil Liberties, Democracy, Economy (Impact On), International Comparisons, Military Readiness, and Non-Violence).

Annotated resources related to various debate topics. Some resources may only be accessible by the University of Michigan community.

FactCheck.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit consumer advocate for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics by monitoring factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases. Use this site to cut through the spin and verify what is true and what is false.

Provides the full text of many newspaper articles, both national and international, under “Guided News Search.” “Legal Research” allows you to search for federal and state cases and laws, law review articles, and law-related news publications and broadcasts.

Intelligent, thoughtfully worded discussion centering on the key issues of our time, such as genetic engineering, environmental policy, prejudice, abortion, health care reform, and media violence. This online resource center draws on the acclaimed social issues series published by Greenhaven Press, as well as core reference content from other Gale and Macmillan Reference USA sources.

Online encyclopedia article about policy speech competitions at the high school and college level. Includes background information on the history and organization of policy debates, as well as information on format, style, and strategy.