Topic Area Analysis Archives - Page 2 of 2

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

By Logan Scisco

On June 6, 2010

In Topic Area Analysis, U.S. Extemp

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

By Logan Scisco

On May 24, 2010

In Topic Area Analysis

This weekend extempers will converge on Omaha, Nebraska for the 2010 Catholic Forensic League Grand National tournament. Each year, Extemp Central provides an analysis of the topic areas that will be used at Catholic Forensic League and National Forensic League Nationals. These analyses are meant to help extempers identify issues that could arise during a round and offer a few tips on dealing with each topic area. Also, the analyses provide practice questions so that extempers can do practice outlines or speeches for each topic area before the tournament.

Topics Areas addressed in this post:

Topic Area #7: Labor, Treasury and Commerce

Topic Area #8: Justice and The Supreme Court

Topic Area #9: Homeland Security, Defense and Veterans Affairs

CFL Nationals Extemp Topic Area Analysis, Part 2

By Logan Scisco

On May 24, 2010

In Topic Area Analysis

This weekend extempers will converge on Omaha, Nebraska for the 2010 Catholic Forensic League Grand National tournament. Each year, Extemp Central provides an analysis of the topic areas that will be used at Catholic Forensic League and National Forensic League Nationals. These analyses are meant to help extempers identify issues that could arise during a round and offer a few tips on dealing with each topic area. Also, the analyses provide practice questions so that extempers can do practice outlines or speeches for each topic area before the tournament.

Topics Areas addressed in this post:

Topic Area #4: The State Department

Topic Area #5: Agriculture, Interior, Energy and Transportation

Topic Area #6: Education, Health & Human Services and Housing & Urban Development

CFL Nationals Extemp Topic Area Analysis, Part 1

By Logan Scisco

On May 24, 2010

In Topic Area Analysis

This weekend extempers will converge on Omaha, Nebraska for the 2010 Catholic Forensic League Grand National tournament. Each year, Extemp Central provides an analysis of the topic areas that will be used at Catholic Forensic League and National Forensic League Nationals. These analyses are meant to help extempers identify issues that could arise during a round and offer a few tips on dealing with each topic area. Also, the analyses provide practice questions so that extempers can do practice outlines or speeches for each topic area before the tournament.

Topics Areas addressed in this post:

Topic Area #1: Americas, Non-U.S.

Topic Area #2: Europe and Asia

Topic Area #3: Africa, Austrailia and Oceania

Introduction to Extemp Central’s 2010 CFL Nationals Extemp Topic Area Analysis

By Logan Scisco

On May 23, 2010

In Topic Area Analysis

By Logan Scisco

This weekend extempers will converge on Omaha, Nebraska for the 2010 Catholic Forensic League Grand National tournament. Each year, Extemp Central provides an analysis of the topic areas that will be used at Catholic Forensic League and National Forensic League Nationals. These analyses are meant to help extempers identify issues that could arise during a round and offer a few tips on dealing with each topic area. Also, the analyses provide practice questions so that extempers can do practice outlines or speeches for each topic area before the tournament.

Before going into each topic area, it is important to give an overview of the tournament for extempers who have never been before. CFL Nationals takes place over two days, with four rounds of competition on each day. On the first day, four preliminary rounds are held and each round is adjudicated by three judges. The forty-eight extempers with the lowest cumulative scores advance to octo-finals the next day and the field is halved over another three rounds until a final field of six is set. All outrounds, with the exception of finals, are adjudicated by three judges. Finals has five judges. The tournament is not cumulative until finals. To determine the winner, CFL has an interesting formula where preliminary ranks do not matter (like NFL), and extempers earn a “rank” for octos, quarters, and semis. What this means is that if you go 1-2-2 and have the best score in your octo-final round you earn a 1 (and if you went (2-1-3 in that round and finished behind the speaker who earned a 1-2-2 you would earn a 2). All of the judges scores in finals count into your cumulative score so the extemper who has the lowest cumulative score across eight ballots wins. Keep in mind that with this formula it is important, but not necessarily vital, for you to win all of your elimination rounds. As an example, when I was in the 2003 CFL final round, I had finished third in my octofinal round and then second in quarters and semis. Other competitors in the round like the eventual winner Greg Wagman had won their octo, quarter, and semi rounds. Therefore, entering the final I was already four ranks behind. If you win all of your elimination rounds heading into the final you will have a slight advantage, but if you bomb the final round, where over sixty percent of your scores come from, then you won’t walk out of Omaha with the national championship.

2009 NFL (NSDA) Nationals United States Extemp Topic Area Analysis

By Logan Scisco

On June 7, 2009

In Topic Area Analysis, U.S. Extemp

By Colin West & Logan Scisco

EDITOR’S NOTE: Due to some topic areas being reused on a yearly basis by the National Forensic League, some of Colin’s analysis that appeared on Extemp Central’s website last year was pieced into this topic area analysis.

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 Birmingham, Alabama. While it appears this year that there will be a stronger overall pool of talent in International extemp, conforming to the normal pattern of the last decade that does not mean that International extemp is the harder tournament to navigate.

When people ask me which area of extemp I think is harder to win at NFL, I always answer United States extemp. My decision could be biased, as I did United States extemp all four years (although I regret never dabbling in International extemp), but I do believe that United States extemp has more variables tied into achieving a high level of performance than International extemp for two reasons.

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.

Second, most judges are more familiar with topics found in U.S. extemp rounds than International extemp rounds. If an informal poll was conducted at the national tournament, I would be willing to bet that there are more judges who know about the current Supreme Court nominee than about Britain’s expenses scandal. This presents U.S. extempers with two issues. The first issue is that judges are going to be somewhat aware of what you are talking about so it is harder for those extempers to “b.s.” their way through rounds (although that may work to many educated competitors advantage). Another issue is that for some topics, such as abortion, affirmative action, etc. that are quite controversial, judges have biases that are tough to shake. I remember drawing abortion, Title IX, and slave reparations in round ten of NFL my junior year and I am convinced that the bad topic draw I achieved in that round and the biases my judges were bound to have, was part of the reason why my cumulative score took a hit.

To assist extempers to navigating the tournament, this topic area analysis hopes to serve as a preview of what extempers can expect to see in each round and provide some practice questions so they can be ready for next week’s event. Keep in mind, these are only predictions and opinions of the writers based on our prior experiences at the tournament. We can be wrong, but I would like to say that most of our predictions about last year’s topics (and my prediction about the Health topic being the CFL semi-final or final topic area) were right.

2009 NFL (NSDA) Nationals International Extemp Topic Area Analysis

By Logan Scisco

On June 7, 2009

In International Extemp, Topic Area Analysis

By Omar Qureshi

1: Western and Eastern Europe

This topic area is different than in years past. Generally Western Europe gets its own topic area, and Eastern Europe is more closely linked with the Russia topic area. I can’t say that I consider the way that it is formatted this year is a particularly good idea. In any case, this is truly a behemoth of a topic area. Regional sources such as The Times of London, The Guardian Unlimited, Der Spiegel, and the Scotsman are all helpful places to go.

It is very important to be attentive to national politics in countries throughout Europe. Great Britain, in particular is in the middle of a wild political storm. With the Member of Parliament spending scandal shaking up public opinion, it is important to look to analyze the specific impacts of the scandal on political parties and political will. Individual national political issues in Europe will be important to the more powerful countries in Western Europe- Germany, Italy, France, and Spain.

Despite how passé it is, it seems as though the national tournament tends to dwell on EU expansion. Here it is a good idea to cover up on the basics- whether or not the EU is at a point where expansion is a good idea. Similarly, be sure to address Eastern European countries like Ukraine and Georgia. These countries have strong movements for EU integration; however they are still facing problems with Russia as well as domestic political opposition.

The fourth of June will bring European and European Council elections. It seems likely that smaller parties will be more successful than in years past. These elections are also important because they give a preliminary indicator of how the EU is likely to mature over the next few years. Pay close attention to the economic agenda being pushed in these elections.

From the perspective of Eastern Europe, it is prudent to note the structures of power domestically. This means analyzing whether or not countries like Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Georgia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Also, I think that the tournament will address the progress of Kosovo- domestically and internationally. Serbian nationalism, too, has been a major issue. Serbia is not doing very well economically. I am fairly certain that there will be a focus on the direction Serbia is going to progress in: whether it is economic progress or a continued level of fierce nationalism without political accomplish.

There is another large area that needs to be addressed when discussing Europe: Russia. However, I will address this in the Russia topic area analysis.

Practice Questions:

1. Will Brown’s code of conduct legislation salvage the tarnished image of the Labour Party?

2. Can the Saakashvili government avert chaos?

3. Is Turkey making progress towards EU integration?

4. What effect will the recent European elections have on regulatory banking legislation?

5. Can Bosnian Serbs retain autonomy?

2009 CFL Nationals Extemp Topic Area Analysis

By Logan Scisco

On May 11, 2009

In Topic Area Analysis

By Logan Scisco

In less than two weeks the 2009 CFL national tournament will commence in Albany, New York. It will offer the first nationwide test of extempers across the country, occurring three weeks before the NFL national tournament in Birmingham, Alabama. As a well versed extemper knows, preparation is everything before a competition and to assist in this process CFL, like its NFL counterpart, releases the extemp topic areas prior to the competition. These eight topic areas have been listed on the organization’s website, www.ncfl.org.

For an extemper who has not been to the CFL national tournament, there are eight rounds of competition. Extempers compete in for preset preliminary rounds followed by four elimination rounds. A typical preliminary field starts with nearly 200 competitors and each preliminary rounds is adjudicated by three judges. The average size of a preliminary round is seven competitors. It must also be said that there is no precise order for the topic areas. All topic areas are drawn at random prior to each round of competition, so there is no point in guessing what topic areas you will hit in each round, although there are probably some topic areas that you would rather see in preliminary rounds and avoid in elimination rounds.

The CFL extemp tournament is unique in that it centers more on domestic issues than international ones. While there have been exceptions in the past, the topic areas of the tournament have often placed domestic concerns over those in the international arena and this year’s topic areas signify a continuation of that process. At first glance, five of the topic areas are named for domestic concerns or departments in the federal government and three of the topic areas represent a broad collection of global regions.

While these topic areas are broad, I will reiterate a point made by Colin West and myself last summer when we did the NFL topic area analysis for International and United States extemp (and which will appear in the next edition of The Ex Files). This is that although these topic areas are broad (sometimes extraordinarily so), they do provide a framework that the rounds of competition will take place in, and the judges you will see in each of these rounds will be listening to a maximum of seven speeches about the same topic area. Therefore, preparing for possible questions, and using those in your practice routine before the tournament, may make the difference between going far in the tournament or having to sit and watch the remainder of the tournament on the sidelines.

As with last year, this topic area analysis will break down each of the eight topic areas released for the 2009 CFL national tournament, providing some issues that extempers should look into and some sample questions extempers can use to practice.

Category: Topic Area Analysis