Basic Downloads

Are you new to speech and debate? The following downloads are for you. They contain introductions to various events that the Monument Membership explores. These downloads are updated every summer to prepare for the new year of competition.

Your Basic Downloads Source Material for Season 22:

File Name	S21-Policy-Stoa-22-NEG-Hegemony.docx
File Size	60.76 KB
Date added	January 11, 2021
Category	Archived
Tags	Debate, Policy, Season 21, Stoa
Author	“Coach Vance" Trefethen

Generic Negative against any case reducing US military commitments. “Hegemony” (he-GEM-oh-nee) is leadership, or direction, where other nations do things our way because we have the most influence and power in the world. It allows many things to function and maintains a higher level of world peace and stability than would be possible without it. Reducing US military commitments means reducing US leadership in the world. If that happens, bad guys (like Russia and China) will gain influence and the world will be much worse off.

When to run this brief: When you don’t have enough specific “on case” evidence or arguments to fill the 1NC or 2NC.
How to run this brief: You don’t need to read every card in the brief every time you use it (although you could if you wanted to). All the arguments in this brief are Disadvantages, so signpost to the judge that you are running one or more disadvantages based on loss of US hegemony. Pick one or two cards from the “Links to Everything” and explain how the AFF plan links to the issues raised in that evidence. Read one or two of the “Brinks to Everything” to show how right now is a critical time NOT to be cutting US military commitments, since it could push us over the brink of losing US hegemony in the world. Then pick the specific example(s) you want to argue that best apply to the case, and pick the specific pieces of evidence that best fit. You don’t have to read all of them, just pick the ones that best fit your situation and that you have time to fit into your 8 minute speech. Worst case (if none of the specific examples seem to fit very well) you can read the generic links, generic brink, and impacts and skip the specific examples.

Be sure to leave a minute or two at the end of the speech to read at least one of the “Impact” cards, because a Disadvantage doesn’t matter and is not a voting issue in the round until someone gets hurt by an impact. The same generic Impact cards at the end of the brief will apply to any of the “Specific Example” scenarios. The Russia scenario also has its own specific impact card that applies only to it.

Download Your Preseason Documents, too:

You may still access Season 21 downloads here.

All Season 22 Basic Downloads will be updated by August 31, 2021. They will remain available through Season 22.

Easy Entry to the World of Speech and Debate

All Members have access to the digital copy of Easy Entry to the World of Speech and Debate by Chris Jeub. Download it below or order a hard copy.

Season 22 Release Schedule

Monument releases content all year long, from one national tournament to another, in what we call "seasons." We are entering Season 22 (2021-2022). For a list of all Member downloads for Season 21, click here. The following is the general release schedule for Season 22:

End of Season 21 - Officially archived on June 28, 2021. The new Season 22 releases begin July 5, 2021.
July-August - The first Monument Monday releases July 5, 2021. Basic informational material will continue through the summer (e.g. summaries, resolutional articles, etc.).
August 30, 2021 - End of the Pre-season, beginning of the official year of Monument Speech and Debate.
~~Christmas~~ Thanksgiving 2021 (we finished early!) - All foundational downloads are complete! Summaries of all releases are now available.
Through March 2022 - BONUS material released to members on a more as-needed basis using our Coaching Request Form.
April-June, 2022 - Qualifier and Nationals Preparation work is arranged...and Monument Members will be prepared to win!

Season 22 Debate Resolutions

Resolutions for Season 22 are posted here as they are announced by various speech and debate leagues.

Policy (all season):
- NCFCA: "Resolved: The United States Federal Government should significantly reform its policies regarding convicted prisoners under federal jurisdiction."
- NSDA: "Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its protection of water resources in the United States."
- NSDA Vote for Season 23 (Due December 15, 2021):
  - OPTION 1 – GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE – Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its support of multilateral greenhouse gas emission reduction regimes.
  - OPTION 2 – GLOBAL GEO-POLITICAL CRISIS: EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES – Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its security cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in one or more of the following areas: artificial intelligence, biotechnology, cybersecurity.
- Stoa: "Resolved: The United States Federal Government should substantially reform the use of Artificial Intelligence technology."
Lincoln-Douglas:
- NCFCA (all season): "Resolved: In the context of innovation, the proactionary principle ought to be valued above the precautionary principle."
- NSDA releases six resolutions through the year:
  - Sept/Oct Novice: "Resolved: Civil disobedience in a democracy is morally justified."
  - Sept/Oct Varsity: "Resolved: The member nations of the World Trade Organization ought to reduce intellectual property protections for medicines."
  - Nov/Dec: "Resolved: A just government ought to recognize an unconditional right of workers to strike."
  - Jan/Feb: "Resolved: The appropriation of outer space by private entities is unjust."
  - Next release is due February 1, 2022.
- Stoa (all season): "Resolved: In the field of biomedical engineering, restraint ought to be prioritized over scientific advancement."
Other Formats:
- Big Questions Debate (all season): "Resolved: On balance, societies benefit from religious belief and practice."
- Public Forum for Sept/Oct: "Resolved: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization should substantially increase its defense commitments to the Baltic states."
- Public Forum for Nov/Dec: "Resolved: Increased United States federal regulation of cryptocurrency transactions and/or assets will produce more benefits than harms."
- Public Forum for January: "Resolved: The United States federal government should legalize all illicit drugs."
- Public Forum's next release is due January 1, 2022.

Permission & Usage

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