Innovative Sourcebooks
As both a sourcebook writer and a debater who has used several sourcebooks, I saw many aspects of sourcebooks I hoped to improve. I now have the opportunity to do just that. The Rhetoric LLC sourcebook team is excited to share a few of the ways that we are changing both the sourcebook writing process and the final product to better help you and better fulfill the purpose of sourcebooks.
“There is no such thing as good writing, only good rewriting.”
This quote from Robert Graves is often overlooked, especially when it comes to LD debate cases. Top debate cases that prove great examples for learning, provide a good introduction to new resolutions, and equip you for competition are not written perfectly the first time. Instead, they are written, they interact with other arguments and ideas, and they are rewritten. Iron sharpens iron and debate cases sharpen each other. This is why practice debate rounds and editing are designed into our sourcebook writing process, also giving sourcebook writers an opportunity to slow down and develop their cases well.
Learn from how we write the sourcebook
A sourcebook should be an entry-point to research, not the conclusion of a debater’s research. One aspect of how we encourage students who use our sourcebook to continue their research further is by including explanations of how we created the sourcebook and how to research effectively within the sourcebook itself. Our sourcebook customers are brought behind the scenes and observe how top debaters approach research and writing.
Not just cases and briefs
If we were to just write 6 AFFs and 6 NEGs and sell them, we would have successfully put together a traditional sourcebook. Debaters would have a variety of options that they could pull out and use at tournaments. At the same time, the amount of learning that could take place and the usefulness of the sourcebook by the end of the season would be significantly decreased.
Instead, we focus on a few top quality AFFs and NEGs that demonstrate how to write an excellent case, give debaters ideas for how to develop their own arguments, and provide a starting point for early season practice debates. Then, we turn our attention to briefs and resources that will stick all season long: General Briefs.
Team Policy General Briefs
In Team Policy, we are back to an international resolution. There are numerous potential cases that fall under import/export policy. If every single brief in every sourcebook was a NEG brief on a different case, that would only scratch the surface of the topics for this resolution. But before you start to panic and run towards LD, there is good news: most of the cases will fall under a few key areas. First, there are only a few major types of things that you can do with import/export policy. Second, most cases will connect directly to a few key ideas (free trade, safety regulations, protectionism, etc.). Third, although each nation around the world is in a distinct situation, there are many arguments that apply to entire regions of the world and some that apply to nearly the entire world.
That is why a large portion of our TP sourcebook is dedicated to General Briefs - briefs that make arguments that apply to a wide variety of cases. Not only will these briefs be relevant all season long, they will also help you learn about the resolution as a whole.
Lincoln-Douglas General Briefs & Resources
Our LD sourcebook also has a variety of resources to prepare you for excellence in competition. Beyond top quality debate cases, our sourcebook also includes briefs with quotes, examples, definitions, reasons to prefer various values, summaries of academic papers on the resolution, and more!
General briefs are just one aspect of how our sourcebooks are innovative. That brings us to our next big change:
A Multimedia Sourcebook
Our sourcebook is not just debate cases and briefs, nor is it just documents. Our truly multi-media sourcebooks include helpful lectures, videos of the sourcebook team debating each other with the current resolution, and more resources designed to prepare you for a fantastic year of competition.
Rhetoric LLC is excited to offer you sourcebooks we would use ourselves and readily recommend to our friends. We hope that these resources will be helpful for you as well!
Do you have questions about our sourcebooks? Are you a club leader looking for a discount for your club? I would be happy to personally reply to any questions you might have! Just email me at Josiah@RhetoricLLC.com!
Want to join the sourcebook team? Learn more about joining our team here.
