Debate and Forensics

Debate and forensics are academic activities in which participants compete against each other in a chosen event that requires some aspect of communication, namely public speaking. That aspect of public speaking might involve the construction of arguments, the presentation of evidence and research, acting, storytelling, or responding to a particular prompt. Each year, a large variety of types of competitive speech and debate activities occur at tournaments held across the United States. Tournaments exist for students in middle school, high school, and college. Research often refers to debate and forensics as a type of experimental learning in which participants actively learn by doing and by putting theory into practice. That is, participants learn as they prepare to speak, speak, and interact with others ...