Novice Lincoln-Douglas Brief

Our Novice Lincoln-Douglas Brief is 358 pages long, in-depth Topic Analyses by Sheryl Kaczmarek, Grand Chmielewski, Shania Hunt, Daniel Shatzkin, and Adam Tomasi, 200+ cards, plus General Information, Framework suggestions, and more! Our briefs for Lincoln-Douglas Debate provide both traditional and progressive style analyses and argumentation, so every debater is well prepared no matter which style they follow. Each brief includes topic analyses from coaches and alumni with a variety of perspectives, plus basic and advanced frameworks. As educators, we believe it is important to help students learn argumentation, research, and critical thinking skills fostered by debate. Our briefs are designed to facilitate real learning — helping students succeed in their rounds and build a foundation of expertise that benefits them for a lifetime.

From the Editor

Welcome to the wonderful world of debate! We at Champion Briefs are excited for you to start this journey, and we're here to help guide you. The Novice Topic produced by the NSDA is an excellent introduction into the event of Lincoln-Douglas and the moral and political issues that we regularly debate. This brief is unique amongst our products in that it is geared only for those first starting out in Lincoln-Douglas. This means that we focused on more traditional LD cases dealing with philosophies and ethical decision making. We also tried to provide students a sample of what more progressive debate can look like through more approachable progressive cases such as plan based affirmatives and negatives that look at the underlying goals of national service. Ultimately, we produced a brief where many of the case positions are directly responsive to each other in order to help debaters create clash without having a deep knowledge of LD strategy. Many of you are just starting your journey in competitive debate, and while I cannot say it will be easy, I can promise you it will be rewarding. The knowledge you will gain and the friends you'll make will last a lifetime. Don't be discouraged if things seem tough to start or if you aren't finding immediate success. Debate like a sport is something you can only get better at with practice. Good luck to you all! Daniel Shatzkin Editor-in-Chief