ILRGL 3300 Final Study Guide - Lecture Only

Types of negative arguments

1. Direct Refutation

2. Disadvantage

3. Kritik

4. Counterplan

Types of counterplans

1. Mechanism counterplan

2. Agent counterplan

3. Advantage counterplan

4. Plan-inclusive counterplan

5. Process counterplan

- Delay plan

- Consultation plan

- Threaten plan

Describe a direct refutation

- Point made in 1AC is incorrect

- 8 reasons why

Describe a disadvantage argument (generally)

1AC's plan has unforeseen consequences which will make the world worse

Describe each of the two types of disadvantage arguments

Old Version:

1. Link

- Aspect of the 1AC plan which causes first domino to fall

2. Brink

- Currently on the edge in a fragile situation

3. Impact

- Worst possible thing that could happen as a result of 1AC's plan

- Must demonstrate how it outweighs advantage

New Version

1. Uniqueness/brink

- Uniqueness: status quo is desirable

- Brink: despite status quo being desirable, it is precarious

2. Link

3. Internal Link

- Extra link between first domino to fall and the impact

4. Impact

Describe a kritik

Philosophical objection to the 1AC

- Propose utopian vision of how the world should change itself for the better

- Ex: it doesn't matter if 1AC's plan saves humanity, because saving the world is more important than saving humanity

Describe a counterplan (generally)

Agrees with affirmative on the idea that status quo should be altered, but counterplan proposes a better alternative to the affirmative plan

- Win condition = discussing a detrimental effect which only applies to the affirmative plan

- Advantages should be the same

- Usually beneficial when the status quo is really bad, and the affirmative side has the overwhelming moral high ground

- MUST be mutually exclusive with 1AC (cannot do both at the same time)

- MUST solve the same harms as the 1AC

Describe a mechanism counterplan

- Changes the action by which a change occurs

- Ex: unions should not have more collective bargaining power. instead, employers should just give them strategic concessions

Describe an agent counterplan

- Changes the agent who fulfills the action

- Ex: USFG should not implement these changes. instead, the states should

Describe an advantage counterplan

- Addressing some subset of the advantages of the affirmative (fixing them without doing the affirmative's plan)

- Ex: we don't need to ban fracking to reduce emissions. instead, we should reduce emissions by investing in renewable energy

- Attempts to address the advantages without triggering the disadvantages of the 1AC

Describe a plan-inclusive counterplan

- Argues that the 1AC has advocated for too much change; it would be better if we did slightly less

- Ex: we should not ban fracking in all 50 states, but rather every state except Texas, because it is vital to Texas' economy.

Describe a process counterplan and each of its types

Some aspect of the process could be done better

- Delay plan: this plan would be better if we did not do it immediately, but rather in X months

- Consultation plan: this plan might be good, but we should consult experts/relevant stakeholders before implementing it

- Threaten counterplan: this plan is good, but it gives a benefit to a stakeholder without getting anything in return. Why don't we make it conditional on that stakeholder doing something for us?

Summarize "The Lost Art of Political Argument" by Christopher Lasch

- Democracy requires public debate, not information

- The info what we need only emerges through vigorous debate

- We only know what we need to know by asking the right questions

- We only know what the right questions are by subjecting our own knowledge to debate

- We rarely absorb information when we don't engage with it through debate

- The media generates info, when it should be fostering debate

- Opinions are half-formed until we can defend them in debate

- Arguments are risky because you might end up agreeing with the other side

Christopher Lasch believes that democracy requires ___ not ___. What are they, and why?

- Democracy requires public debate, not information

- The info what we need only emerges through vigorous debate

- We only know what we need to know by asking the right questions

- We only know what the right questions are by subjecting our own knowledge to debate

What are the pros in the case for debate?

1. Helps you think clearly under pressure

2. Improves critical thinking skills

3. Improves public speaking skills

4. Fosters open-mindedness

5. Improves listening skills

6. Fun

What are the cons in the case for debate?

1. Uninformative/misinforms people (never says what the "right" answer is)

2. Rewards theatrics

3. Political debates aren't particularly meaningful

- Mostly rehearsed talking points that are unrelated to the question

4. Debate is hostile

5. Debate is polarizing

6. You don't stand for anything, just what you're advocating for in that particular moment

Describe the Ruth Collins' lecture through the lens of PCAN

Problem: ready-to-wear pant sizing excludes many bodies

Cause: mathematically impossible to account for every variable, and companies are hostile to plus sized people

Answer: make pants yourself using "top down, center out" method

Net benefits:

- Less insecure when you measure yourself

- Better for the environment

- Makes high fashion accessible ("democratizes" it)

- Enables style exploration

- Empowers you to fulfill your own needs

Describe Finch's guest lecture through the lens of PCAN

Problem: arbitrators are persuaded by several elements besides evidence (which you should improve in order to win)

Cause: the goal in arbitration is to persuade the arbitrator, not beat your opponent

Answer:

- Lead with the strongest point

- Focus on key facts

- Admit weaknesses

- Be concise

- Do not forget a theme

- Do not be mechanical

- Do not act like every point is equally important

Net Benefits:

- Your arguments will be more persuasive

- You will seem more confident

Describe the ILO guy's guest lecture through the lens of PCAN

Problem: the UN has a consensus culture, and it is difficult to reach consensus on anything with so many different parties

Cause: the numerous parties form blocs with conflicting interests

Answer: neutral facilitators must guide negotiations, often off-the-record, in order for parties to agree to terms which are intentionally ambiguous (can be interpreted differently by each party)

Net benefits: each party can claim progress in their own way

Describe Cornell on Fire's guest lecture through the lens of PCAN

Problem: the world is on track for a 3-4 degree celsius rise in average temps by 2100

Cause: people take climate change seriously on paper (pledges) but not through action

Answer: activism is necessary to hold entities like Cornell accountable for their emissions

Net benefits: planet is more habitable, less displacement, less pollution, fewer heatwaves

Summarize the debate between CPU and Speech and Debate

Topic: if you are a skilled, middle-class individual in your early twenties, you should take a low-paying job that you are passionate about as opposed to a high-paying, high-hours job that you are not passionate about

- CPU argued in favor of passion job, and won by a narrow margin

Describe Lakoff's "Two Questions About Trump and Republicans that Stump Progressives"

2Qs:

1. Why don't Trump supporters turn against him even though he is doing things to hurt him?

2. Why do Republicans hate the ACA and want to give the wealthy a tax break?

Answer: moral politics

1. Strict father family

- Must protect and support the family

- Kids want to seek pleasure, but they must be taught right and wrong using physical (painful) punishment

- Discipline leads to prosperity

- Don't want to get rid of things which exert authority over their father (father = market, for example)

2. Nurturing parent family

- Must nurture your child until they are the best they can be

- Empathy is central

- Gov'ts job = protection (regulation) and empowerment (schools, public works)

All political issues can be divided based on those two moral frameworks

Describe the lecture on framing (besides the article)

- Lakoff

- We don't know anything unless we can compare it to something else

- Institutions are structured by 2 frames: elements and scenarios

- We have expectations for the boundaries of frames, and don't like it when something "breaks the frame"

- Metaphors: more = up, less = down, warmth = kind/loving (bc when you were hugged as a kid, it was warm)

- Learned very early because you are trained as a baby

- Taught these concepts over and over until it forms a physical circuit in the brain