Background Information on the Oceans Topic
The CDL has compiled introductory materials on the 2014-15 Oceans Topic:
A 20 minute video on the topic is available here.
A summation of introductory strategies in approaching the topic can be found here.
A preliminary list of arguments, on both the affirmative and negative can help guide research strategies.
Ocean Research
A cool, up-close view of the oceans and some of their coral reefs can be found on Google Oceans View.
An introductory bibliography can be downloaded here
The US Commission on Ocean Policy has a good chapter outlining important development technologies and infrastructure.
The National Ocean Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a helpful overview on Ocean Exploration.
The Center for a New American Security has a Policy Brief describing military issues as relate to current ocean policy, which may be helpful in understanding some of the impacts and conflicts likely to be argued this year.
Sites with Debate Evidence, Argument Summaries, or Citations
The National Association for Urban Debate Leagues maintains a very useful topic resources page. It includes a “starter packet” on the oceans policy topic — encompassing several affirmative cases, case neg, and disadvantages — as well as links to several series of webinars and presentations on competitive academic debate and a couple of demo oceans policy topic debates on video.
The National Debate Coaches Association Open Evidence Project, with thousands of pages of debate briefs from 16 of the top university summer debate institutes from around the country.
Bauschard Debate is a site run by Stefan Bauschard, a leading national debate coach and debate administrator, which provides essays, cites, evidence on the policy debate topic, along with research, news, and advocacy on academic debate, as an educational activity.
The Harvard Debate team frequently updates Planet Debate, a for-profit website focused on maintaining comprehensive collection of debate resources such as evidence, lecture videos, and citations.
The National Center for Policy Analysis also has an online site for debate resources at Debate Central. The website post online debates, topic analysis, and testimonials on the benefits of competitive academic debate.
The National Debate Coaches’ Association’s NDCA Wiki compiles information on the arguments that are being run by National Circuit teams across the country throughout the season. The site is frequently updated by NC high school debaters and gives a good look into the research being done as the year progresses.
Targeted Sources
Research Directories and Open Databases
Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government maintains an extensive list of credible think tanks at their Think Tank directory. The list is valuable for debaters as it focuses on the quality and full text availability of scholarship being produced at various think tanks.
The International Relations Program, at the University of Pennsylvania runs Think Tanks & Civil Societies Program, a website which compiles a list of the top 100 think tanks from across the world.
Open DOAR is a website run by the University of Nottingham focused on aggregating links to open source databases and sorting them by discipline and subject area.
To access congressional research service reports Open CRS is a great site for finding background information and research reports.
Discussion and Video Hosting Sites Centered On Policy Debate
Cross-X is an online forum where debaters discuss current issues in high school policy debate. The site also publishes weekly politics updates and host debates files produced by debaters.
For those wishing to watch videos of top tier rounds at college and high school tournaments, Debate Vision is a website that host debate rounds from multiple national tournaments. The site also host media pieces on debate and lectures from coaches.
The University of Texas’s debate camp maintain a blog written by its instructors which discusses this year’s resolution along with issues surrounding debate theory and critical arguments in debate.