Category: Topic Area Analysis Page 1 of 2

by Logan Scisco

Over the last few years, Extemp Central has done a breakdown of the topic areas for the Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament. Since there is usually some overlap of topics, this year’s brief will be much more condense and I will attempt to summarize the topic areas in five to seven sentences or less. This is meant to shed some insight into what challenges extempers might face at the CFL tournament this weekend. Extempers should click on the Ex Files tab above and look at the 2008 and 2009 analysis to get an idea of what issues extempers face at CFL and to also better understand how the tournament works. Extempers should also consult Mirza Germovic’s breakdown of the tournament, which was posted late last week.

Extempers should note that there are nine topic areas, but there are only eight rounds at the tournament. The topic areas are drawn randomly before each round. This means that one of the topic areas listed below WILL NOT be used. Also, the tournament seems to be pushing a more domestic centered approach to the event this year. As a final quick piece of advice, the worst topic areas always seems to find its way into semi-finals or finals, so be prepared to face them there.

2011 TFA State International Extemp Topic Area Analysis

By geniao44446

On March 7, 2011

by Logan Scisco

The following topic area analysis is for extempers who will be competing next week at the Texas Forensic Association State Tournament at Flower Mound High School. Like our CFL and NFL topic area analysis in the past, this will attempt to provide some guidance for extempers as they prepare for the tournament. This topic area analysis will provide a brief description of the round in question and list some major issues that extempers will have to talk about in that round. For extempers who will not be competing at TFA and have their state tournaments later in the year, this topic area analysis can still help you since many states are using the same topic areas and categories that TFA is utilizing. As with all topic area analysis, this merely represents the opinions of the writer and in no way reflects what will actually happen at TFA State. Extemp Central is not affiliated with TFA and has not written the questions that extempers will compete with next week.

2011 TFA State United States Extemp Topic Area Analysis

By geniao44446

On March 7, 2011

by Logan Scisco

The following topic area analysis is for extempers who will be competing next week at the Texas Forensic Association State Tournament at Flower Mound High School. Like our CFL and NFL topic area analysis in the past, this will attempt to provide some guidance for extempers as they prepare for the tournament. This topic area analysis will provide a brief description of the round in question and list some major issues that extempers will have to talk about in that round. For extempers who will not be competing at TFA and have their state tournaments later in the year, this topic area analysis can still help you since many states are using the same topic areas and categories that TFA is utilizing. As with all topic area analysis, this merely represents the opinions of the writer and in no way reflects what will actually happen at TFA State. Extemp Central is not affiliated with TFA and has not written the questions that extempers will compete with next week.

NFL International Extemp Topic Area Analysis, Part 4

As was done for the Catholic Forensic League (CFL) national tournament, Extemp Central provides you with this topic area analysis for the International Extemp portion of next week’s NFL national tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

In the first of our four-part series, we explore three of the thirteen topic areas at the 2010 NFL National Tournament in International Extemp.

Topic Area #10: The Middle East
Topic Area #11: Russia and Former USSR Satellite States
Topic Area #12: US Foreign Policy: The Foreign Perspective
Topic Area #13: The World Economy

Keep reading to explore these areas in further depth.

NFL International Extemp Topic Area Analysis, Part 3

As was done for the Catholic Forensic League (CFL) national tournament, Extemp Central provides you with this topic area analysis for the International Extemp portion of next week’s NFL national tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

In the first of our four-part series, we explore three of the thirteen topic areas at the 2010 NFL National Tournament in International Extemp.

Topic Area #7: India, Pakistan, and Southeast Asia
Topic Area #8: The International Community: The Transition from 2000 to 2010
Topic Area #9: International Organizations & Global Challenges

Keep reading to explore these areas in further depth.

NFL International Extemp Topic Area Analysis, Part 2

As was done for the Catholic Forensic League (CFL) national tournament, Extemp Central provides you with this topic area analysis for the International Extemp portion of next week’s NFL national tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

In the first of our four-part series, we explore three of the thirteen topic areas at the 2010 NFL National Tournament in International Extemp.

Topic Area #4: China, Taiwan, Japan, and the Koreas
Topic Area #5: Energy and the Environment
Topic Area #6: Europe

Keep reading to explore these areas in further depth.

NFL International Extemp Topic Area Analysis, Part 1

As was done for the Catholic Forensic League (CFL) national tournament, Extemp Central provides you with this topic area analysis for the International Extemp portion of next week’s NFL national tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

In the first of our four-part series, we explore three of the thirteen topic areas at the 2010 NFL National Tournament in International Extemp.

Topic Area #1: Africa
Topic Area #2: Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean
Topic Area #3: Central and South America

Keep reading to explore these areas in further depth.

NFL International Extemp Topic Area Analysis, A Guide

by Logan Scisco

As was done for the Catholic Forensic League (CFL) national tournament, Extemp Central provides you with this topic area analysis for the International extemp portion of next week’s NFL national tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

This is the third time that Extemp Central has broken down the topic areas in International extemp for NFL. Last year, IX runner-up Omar Qureshi broke down the IX topic areas and extempers would be wise to consult this topic area analysis as well as Omar’s thoughts, which can be found in last year’s NFL edition of The Ex Files.

If you are in the International extemp field for NFL you will be facing some of the toughest competition in the nation. Although anyone who makes the NFL national tournament is a talented speaker and has earned their way into the field, International extemp tends to have a better field than United States extemp. In looking at the National Points Race, most of the top ten are in International extemp at this year’s tournament so if you have chosen to do International extemp you will be in the midst of very elite competition and will be competing against extempers who have proven themselves at previous national circuit events during the year.

As with the CFL topic area analysis, this topic area analysis is meant to provide some insight into the thirteen topic areas that International extempers will encounter at the national tournament. According to some reports, a new batch of question writers will be putting together this year’s topics, which will hopefully eliminate the ridiculous questions seen in last year’s final round such as “Yes we can. Or can we?” Since I am putting together the USX and IX topic area analysis this year and because thirteen topic areas cover a lot of ground, this year’s topic area analysis will have a brief paragraph summary explaining each topic area and then there will be bulleted points detailing issues that extempers might confront in each topic area. Keep in mind, this topic brief is not sanctioned by the National Forensic League and I am not on any panels to write questions for the tournament. My analysis of these topic areas is through my years of experience competing at the tournament and judging rounds and merely predicts what you will encounter in the prep room in Kansas City. Unlike previous years this topic brief will not contain practice questions. This is because of the timing of the release of this topic area analysis and other constraints upon the writer. Instead, this week there will be thirteen questions for USX and IX, one for each topic area. Extempers can also look back at previous week’s questions on the site to help prepare them for the tournament. I apologize for any inconvenience that might cause.

NFL US Extemp Topic Area Analysis, Part 4

On June 7, 2010

As was done for the Catholic Forensic League (CFL) national tournament, Extemp Central provides you with this topic area analysis for the United States extemp portion of next week’s NFL national tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

In the final installment of our four-part series, we explore four of the thirteen topic areas at the 2010 NFL National Tournament in United States Extemp.

Topic Area #10: National Security and Homeland Security
Topic Area #11: The Obama Administration
Topic Area #12: State and Local Politics: Major Elections, Budgets, Welfare, and Immigration Issues
Topic Area #13: U.S. Policies, Programs, and Regulatory Policy

Keep reading to explore these areas in further depth.

NFL US Extemp Topic Area Analysis, Part 3

On June 7, 2010

As was done for the Catholic Forensic League (CFL) national tournament, Extemp Central provides you with this topic area analysis for the United States extemp portion of next week’s NFL national tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

In the third of our four-part series, we explore three of the thirteen topic areas at the 2010 NFL National Tournament in United States Extemp.

Topic Area #7: Education
Topic Area #8: Energy & the Environment
Topic Area #9: Health Care Reform

Keep reading to explore these areas in further depth.

NFL US Extemp Topic Area Analysis, Part 2

On June 6, 2010

As was done for the Catholic Forensic League (CFL) national tournament, Extemp Central provides you with this topic area analysis for the United States extemp portion of next week’s NFL national tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

In the second of our four-part series, we explore three of the thirteen topic areas at the 2010 NFL National Tournament in United States Extemp.

Topic Area #4: America: The Path from 2000 to 2010
Topic Area #5: The American Judiciary: Nominations, Recent Cases, and Theoretical Approaches
Topic Area #6: The Banking Crisis and American Business

Keep reading to explore these areas in further depth.

NFL US Extemp Topic Area Analysis, Part 1

On June 6, 2010

As was done for the Catholic Forensic League (CFL) national tournament, Extemp Central provides you with this topic area analysis for the United States extemp portion of next week’s NFL national tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

In the first of our four-part series, we explore three of the thirteen topic areas at the 2010 NFL National Tournament in United States Extemp.

Topic Area #1: The 2010 and 2012 Elections
Topic Area #2: The American Economy: Economic Theory and Core Economic Policymaking
Topic Area #3: American Foreign Policy: Theoretical Questions and Ongoing Foreign Engagements

Keep reading to explore these areas in further depth.

NFL US Extemp Topic Area Analysis, A Guide

On June 6, 2010

As was done for the Catholic Forensic League (CFL) national tournament, Extemp Central provides you with this topic area analysis for the United States extemp portion of next week’s NFL national tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

Since this is my third year writing a topic area analysis for the NFL National tournament for the website, I’ll rehash my thoughts about why I think United States extemp is more difficult than International extemp. These thoughts were printed in last season’s topic area analysis:

First, it is very difficult to write thirteen rounds of questions about the United States. Yes, we are a great country and many of the things that take place here establish policy that significantly alters the globe. However, trying to come up with nearly thirty questions per round about issues only in the United States is very difficult. This is compounded by a problem all extempers are familiar with at some local tournaments: a lack of quality questions. I remember senior year the first question I drew was “Why does the right hate public education?” I also have encountered questions about whether prisoners should have to work, questions about timber companies, and questions about water problems in Utah. All of these questions show that there is a depth to U.S. extemp that can get very nit picky and there might come a time in the tournament when an extemper is going to be forced to talk about an issue they may never have heard of or not have a lot of substantial material to support a speech in their file boxes.

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CFL Nationals Extemp Topic Area Analysis, Part 3

On May 24, 2010