National Parliamentary Debate Association
Encyclopedia
- NPDA redirects here, it may also refer to nondeterministic pushdown automataPushdown automatonIn automata theory, a pushdown automaton is a finite automaton that can make use of a stack containing data.- Operation :Pushdown automata differ from finite state machines in two ways:...
.
The National Parliamentary Debate Association (NPDA) is one of the two national intercollegiate parliamentary debate
Parliamentary Debate
Parliamentary Debate is an academic debate event. Many university level institutions in English speaking nations sponsor parliamentary debate teams, but the format is currently spreading to the high school level as well...
organizations in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The other is the American Parliamentary Debate Association. The NPDA is a relatively young organization, but it is now the largest college debate organization
Debate
Debate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Its membership is national, with participating schools on both coasts and throughout the country.
The Rules of NPDA Debate
In tournaments sponsored or sanctioned by the NPDA, teams of two persons debate head-to-head. Tournaments issue a new topic each round, generally on issues such as politics, philosophy, and current affairs, and speeches begin after limited preparation time.Parliamentary debate
Parliamentary Debate
Parliamentary Debate is an academic debate event. Many university level institutions in English speaking nations sponsor parliamentary debate teams, but the format is currently spreading to the high school level as well...
, which is often shortened as "parli," is a debate format in which tournament officials assign a new topic every round. After the announcement of the topic, the two teams have a limited preparation time (usually 20 minutes) during which to write out their respective cases.
The second important rule is time limits. The standard time limits for an NPDA debate are:
- First Proposition Speaker: 7 minutes
- First Opposition Speaker: 8 minutes
- Second Proposition Speaker: 8 minutes
- Second Opposition Speaker: 8 minutes
- Opposition Rebuttal: 4 minutes
- Proposition Rebuttal: 5 minutes
There are tournaments, however, at which these are modified, generally to a 7-7-7-7-5-5 format. The Claremont Colleges
Claremont Colleges
The Claremont Colleges are a prestigious American consortium of five undergraduate and two graduate schools of higher education located in Claremont, California, a city east of downtown Los Angeles...
tournament, for instance, uses this 7-5 format. During constructive speeches, debaters may introduce new arguments and the speaker's opponents may rise to ask questions of the speaker. Constructive speakers can accept or reject any given question. Rebuttals are exclusively for summarizing the arguments that were made during constructives.
Over the past few years many coaches and competitors have referred to the official title of speeches with different names. These are unofficial yet very popular with many judges:
- Prime Minister Constructive
- Leader of Opposition Constructive
- Member of Government Constructive
- Member of Opposition Constructive
- Leader of Opposition Rebuttal
- Prime Minister Rebuttal
The third rule of importance is the ban on quoted evidence. Literally, this simply means that the debaters may not bring in printed, published evidence and consult it during the round. It is expected that debaters will use their own preexisting knowledge and research conducted prior to the start of the actual round to back their arguments with reasoning and empirical data.
Once they enter the debating chambers, parliamentary debaters are prohibited from using published materials to supplement their arguments. This places parli in stark contrast to the other common intercollegiate debate format: policy debate
Policy debate
Policy debate is a form of speech competition in which teams of two advocate for and against a resolution that typically calls for policy change by the United States federal government or security discourse...
. Policy debaters utilize quoted evidence.
Any mature debate circuit will develop its own customs and practices. Some people argue that the NPDA rules are very laissez-faire, preferring to let the norms of what constitutes valid argumentation be subjects for the debate itself. Others believe that, in recent years, the NPDA has been hesitant to allow its participants to engage in controversial, avant garde or "nontraditional" debate practices at its national championship tournament.
The NPDA Championship Tournament
The NPDA runs one debate tournament each year: the NPDA Championship Tournament, held in late March or early April at rotating host sites. While the inaugural tournament in 1994 only hosted around 40 teams, the2004 Championship Tournament had over 300 teams in the field from over a half-dozen nations. This tournament's practices are generally modeled by smaller invitational tournaments, which provide the bulk of year-long competition. NPDA sanctions many of these tournaments, and the school that does the best at sanctioned invitationals over the course of the year is awarded a year-long sweepstakes championship.
Relationship to Other Tournaments and Organizations
There are usually several NPDA-sanctioned invitational tournaments throughout the country to choose from on almost every weekend of the academic year. The largest of these tournaments include the Sunset Cliffs Classic held in February at Point Loma Nazarene UniversityPoint Loma Nazarene University
Point Loma Nazarene University is a Christian liberal arts college. Its main campus is located on the Point Loma oceanfront in San Diego, California. It was founded in 1902 as a Bible college by the Church of the Nazarene.-History:...
in San Diego, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the season-opening Top of the Rockies tournament at the University of Wyoming
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
in September, the Al Johnson Invitational at the Colorado College
Colorado College
The Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell...
in October, the Golden Gate Invitational at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
in November, and the Hatfield Debates at Willamette University
Willamette University
Willamette University is an American private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university in the Western United States. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and...
in February.
Communicating Between Tournaments
Almost from its inception, the NPDA community has taken advantage of the InternetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
to continue debates (and to debate about debates) between tournaments and in the off-season. For years, this took place via the official electronic mailing list
Electronic mailing list
An electronic mailing list is a special usage of email that allows for widespread distribution of information to many Internet users. It is similar to a traditional mailing list — a list of names and addresses — as might be kept by an organization for sending publications to...
, much to the chagrin of those who saw that resource as best used for official communication such as posting tournament invitations and results.
Today, much of the online debate (especially between competitors) in the NPDA community takes place via the online forum Net-Benefits.net, founded by University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
then-undergraduate Jed Link. The name "Net-Benefits" is a pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
, referring to the debate paradigm by which the debate judge weighs the net benefits of two competing policies. The site is now an electronic hub for discourse and information on parliamentary debate.
NPDA National Champions
Every year since 1994, the organization has held a national championship tournament. Winning teams include:- 2011: Hank Fields & Matt Gander (University of OregonUniversity of Oregon-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
) - 2010: Brian Horton & Adam Testerman (Texas Tech UniversityTexas Tech UniversityTexas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
) - 2009: Max Alderman & David Pena (University of Nevada, RenoUniversity of Nevada, RenoThe University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA...
) - 2008: Kristen Owen & Anthony Putnicki (Texas Tech UniversityTexas Tech UniversityTexas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
) - 2007: Tim Kamermeyer & Griffith Vertican (Point Loma Nazarene UniversityPoint Loma Nazarene UniversityPoint Loma Nazarene University is a Christian liberal arts college. Its main campus is located on the Point Loma oceanfront in San Diego, California. It was founded in 1902 as a Bible college by the Church of the Nazarene.-History:...
) - 2006: Josh Anderson & Rachel Safran (University of Puget SoundUniversity of Puget SoundThe University of Puget Sound is a private liberal arts college located in the North End of Tacoma, Washington, in the United States...
) - 2005: Paul Bingham & Meredith Price (Lewis & Clark CollegeLewis & Clark CollegeLewis & Clark College is a private institution of higher learning located in Portland, Oregon. Made up of an undergraduate College of Arts and Sciences, a School of Law, and a Graduate School of Education and Counseling. Lewis & Clark is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges with athletic...
) - 2004: Ian Samuel & Marie Tenny (Truman State UniversityTruman State UniversityTruman State University is a public liberal arts and sciences university in Missouri, United States and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. About 6,000 students attend Truman, pursuing degrees in 43 undergraduate and 9 Graduate programs. It is located in Kirksville in...
) - 2003: Michael Owens & Joshua Wilkerson (University of WyomingUniversity of WyomingThe University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
) - 2002: Ben Garcia & Chris Richter (University of Alaska AnchorageUniversity of Alaska AnchorageThe University of Alaska Anchorage is the largest school of the University of Alaska System, with about 16,500 students, about 14,000 of whom attend classes at Goose Lake, its main campus in Anchorage....
) - 2001: Danny Barak & Will Trachman (University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
) - 2000: Ryan Kennedy & Jacob Stutzman (Truman State UniversityTruman State UniversityTruman State University is a public liberal arts and sciences university in Missouri, United States and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. About 6,000 students attend Truman, pursuing degrees in 43 undergraduate and 9 Graduate programs. It is located in Kirksville in...
) - 1999: Geof Brodak & Bill Herman (Colorado State UniversityColorado State UniversityColorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
) - 1998: Heath Curtis & Rebekah Gilbert (Concordia University, SewardConcordia University, SewardConcordia University, Nebraska, is a private, coeducational university located in Seward, Nebraska. It is affiliated with the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and part of its ten-member Concordia University System...
) - 1997: Dan Nelson & Marcus Paroske (Regis UniversityRegis UniversityRegis University is a private, co-educational Roman Catholic, Jesuit university in the United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1877, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
) - 1996: Ryan Levy & Scott Ruthfield (Rice UniversityRice UniversityWilliam Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
) - 1995: Meredith Marine & Neal Sample (University of WyomingUniversity of WyomingThe University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
) - 1994: Marcus Paroske & Tammy Schultz (Regis UniversityRegis UniversityRegis University is a private, co-educational Roman Catholic, Jesuit university in the United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1877, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
)
External links
- World Forensics Network - Online Video Conference Based Debating
- National Parliamentary Debate Association - homepage of the organization
- National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence - view current and old NPTE rankings
- Net-Benefits.net - online community for college parliamentary debate
- Debate Cooperative - online community that includes message boards for NPDA and NPTE parliamentary debate
- Parlidebate.com - Video and audio recordings of APDA, BP, CUSID and NPDA debate rounds.
- ForensicsTournament.net - online registration site for NPDA Nationals.
- STA-XL Plus Debate Tabulation Software - Software used to run many NPDA tournaments.