NMC Speaker Series: Member of the Opposition

The NMC is excited to announce its first ever lecture anthology. We have invited several distinguished APDA alumni as well as current seniors to give four lectures on APDA speaker positions. Join Nats Top Speaker Katrina Hotaling for an exploration of the role of the Member of Government! Youtube Link: https://youtu.be/MDncU50XWQE Google Slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/16qO2Acup5HvUUbJQZB6v2iqUiJMVt-CHHcPygWMfHuk/edit?usp=sharing

NMC Speaker Series: Member of Government

The NMC is excited to announce its first ever lecture anthology. We have invited several distinguished APDA alumni as well as current seniors to give four lectures on APDA speaker positions. Join Chris Porcaro Award Winner Nick Devito for an exploration of the role of the Member of Government! Youtube Link: https://youtu.be/5ivbdBzDbnM Google Slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/16qO2Acup5HvUUbJQZB6v2iqUiJMVt-CHHcPygWMfHuk/edit?usp=sharing

NMC Speaker Series: Prime Minister

The NMC is excited to announce its first ever lecture anthology. We have invited several distinguished APDA alumni as well as current seniors to give four lectures on APDA speaker positions. Join APDA President Ahmad Howard in an exploration of the role of the Prime Minister! Youtube Link: https://youtu.be/fCIeg9EDhIY?si=JXaIwlNClvSBxnPx Google Slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_2AKawzRLDThQsH8CrETwXk7BHnAt_Y_Gb8c8X3axdk/edit?usp=sharing

On Victory by Mac Hays

By Mac Hays Brown ’24 In the first of a planned series of lectures, I aim to explain some of my views on the technical concepts of win conditions in debate in general and APDA in particular. This lecture will involve three parts: 1) A discussion of how applicable technical models of “objectively” understanding and […]

Transitioning from High School Debate to APDA

By Parker Kelly, George Washington University, ’20 I went to high school in Houston, Texas and did 1 year of PF and 2 years of LD on the local and national circuits. I was in a few bid rounds and competed relatively consistently (especially senior year) but didn’t qualify for the TOC. I debate for […]

How to Handle Motions Preparation

By Eric Tannenbaum, The College of New Jersey ’18 Note: APDA has several motions tournaments throughout the year, but due to their relative infrequency compared to case tournaments it can difficult to know what to do when it comes to preparation for motions. The following are some tips to help you get better at debate, however […]

How and When to Countercase

By Miriam Pierson, Swarthmore College ’18 Note: If you want to get a general sense of what a countercase can look like, here’s a link to a video where the opposition team countercases. Read this article and then watch the video for further clarification. In debate rounds, the government team generally proposes a change and the […]

Case Writing Basics

By Anika Matin, The George Washington University ’18 Starting out on APDA, you will come to the realization that you will be the government team about half the time, and you will need cases to run. Writing a case will take time, so here are some tips: Start off simple. This means taking the time […]

An Introduction to Debating About Economics

By Nik Venkatasubramanian, George Washington University ’18 Debating Economics and Finance I: Trade and Specialization Introduction Debate about Economics sounds scary. You scroll through the news every morning and you see scary graphs and big words on the Wall Street Journal. The sharp parts of those graphs look like tiny cliffs that seem dangerous and […]

An Introduction to Debating About International Relations

By Andrew Bowles, George Washington University ‘17 I. Introduction In the real world, debates about international relations are often prohibitively difficult to engage in. They require extensive specific knowledge, much of which is in reality highly classified, and expect participants to understand a variety of complex frameworks and issues just to engage. This frequently translates into […]