CAP Debates 2021 Project Packet

OBJECTIVE: Assemble a coherent and well

supported argument on an issue and defend your
argument in a formal debate setting.
● For this project, you will participate in a formal debate
● You will have a topic with a proposition that will
present a claim
● Your goal is to present an argument in favor of, or
against the claim.

STEP 1: Find Out Your Topic! - December 21

On Monday, December 21, CAP10 will meet as a whole group to discuss the CAP Debates Project
and dole out the debate topics and sides. Once you learn your topic and side, add in your information
below! If you need to check back on the list, CLICK HERE!

My Topic: Gender/Racial Quotas

My Topic Proposition: United States political parties should implement gender

quotas for candidates at all levels. expand to organizations,
businesses, Blair teaching staff

My Side (pro or con): Pro

My Debate Partner and their Marin Barclay 444066, Max Bowman 427080
Student ID number:
My Debate Opponents: Gabriel Prevots, Sammi Frey

PRO = Affirmative CON = Negative

The side that “affirms” or argues for the proposition The side that argues the status quo, against the
or change proposition.

Has burden of proof, therefore goes first and last. Can cast doubt on the arguments or proposition, not
introduce alternative

Must outline the case and introduce new points of Responds by refuting Affirmative, rather than
argument formulating new arguments
STEP 2: Research! - Over Winter Break
Now that you know your topic and the side you will debate, you will need to do some research. Use
the charts below to organize your claims, key quotes and statistics, and make notes on reasoning and
credibility. You will also want to collect some opposition research, including the opposition’s claims, so
that you are able to build your crossfire and rebuttal. Finally, you will collect a works cited list of
credible sources.

Your Side: United States political parties should implement gender quotas for
candidates at all levels. Expand to organizations, businesses, Blair teaching staff.

Notes, Quotes, Evidence, Statistics,

Claims
Governments (and businesses and
schools) should reflect the people.
Reasoning
- Half the population is female (The World Bank).
- Gender quotas ensure that policy will be made
that benefits both women and men.
- When discussing the gender quota in Argentina,
“introducing policy that is more inclusive of
women in public office is not only a question of
representativeness akin to a democratic political
system like the U.S. but it is also a means to
diversify policy and expand women’s
perspectives” (Piatti-Crocker).

Women have been systematically
overlooked for positions in all workforces
without gender quotas.
- A gender quota will ensure that women are
considered for positions, instead of being denied
the opportunity when a male counterpart with
equal experience applies for the same position.
- “...quotas are needed — at least for a while — to
force political leaders to recognize talented
women who have been systematically
overlooked” (Long).

When women see women in leadership
positions, more will be motivated to go
into these workforces.
- After Clinton’s loss in 2016, many young girls lost
hope in democracy (Campbell, Wolbrecht).
- These same girls gained hope and confidence in
democracy after a record number of women ran
for Senate and House in the 2018 midterms
(Campbell, Wolbrecht).
- Role Model Effect
- “Previous research has found that women, and
especially young women, become more
politically engaged when they see women
running visible, viable campaigns — even if
those candidates don’t win” (Campbell,
Wolbrecht).

Add more claims as needed by adding

rows to this chart!

https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL.FE.ZS
 https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/80-nations-set-quotas-for-female-leaders-s
hould-the-us-be-next/2019/03/29/a27434ba-45c4-11e9-aaf8-4512a6fe3439_story.html
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/465074-why-american-politics-needs-gender-quota
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/11/22/how-women-candidates-are-making-girls-fe
el-better-about-politics/
https://www.newamerica.org/better-life-lab/blog/role-model-effect/#:~:text=The%20Role%20Mod
el%20Effect%20can,ranks%20of%20their%20professional%20careers.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/04/the-us-ranks-75th-in-womens-representation-in-government.h
tml
Opposition Research: To craft your rebuttal!
Refuting - There are three basic techniques of refuting arguments -
1. Directly attack the data upon which your opponents’ claims rest. An example would be
arguing that the data for global warming is faulty.
2. Absorb their argument. Rather than disagree with the data behind their argument, you provide
an alternative interpretation of the data that accords with your overall arguments. In other
words, concede the data and refute the claim. For example, you might say, “Yes, it is historically
true that we have never used our nuclear arsenal; however, that example merely proves my
point that stockpiling these weapons has been an effective deterrent, because…”
3. The strategic concession. Rather than disagree with either the data or warrants of your
opponents, explain why their arguments are irrelevant. For example, you might say, “Even if our
opponents win that our plan will cost several billion dollars, we still win the debate because the
plan’s benefits outweigh its costs, since…” These last two techniques allow you to defend your
strongest ground rather than get sucked into argumentative quagmires that you have no chance
of winning. If the data is good and credible, then start looking for ways to spin it to your
advantage.

Opposing Claims Your Rebuttal

Claim #1: Quotas are against the
American ideal of equal opportunity.
Gender quotas would be making up for the loss of equal
opportunity between genders. These quotas would aid
in breaking barriers in women regularly serving in
government.
- After the 2018 elections, the House and Senate
included more women than ever before, with
proportions of 23.5 percent and 25 percent,
which is still much lower when compared to other
democratic countries.
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/465074-why-
american-politics-needs-gender-quota
-

Claim #2: This quota would make
selection based on gender as opposed to their achievements are looked down upon because the
quality. Better candidates and more
qualified candidates could be pushed out.
Many women are just as qualified, or even more so, but
political system today is dominated by men.
- Last month, the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s
database of women in world parliaments ranked
the United States 78th out of 193 countries in the
world.
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/465074-why-
american-politics-needs-gender-quota
-
Claim #3: Enforcing a gender quota in Political parties have control over candidate
government is undemocratic. nominations. The step of the process does not directly
correlate with voting numbers.
-Voluntary quotas are democratic. 127 countries around
the world have started using gender quotas in politics to
speed up the inclusion of women in the government
(https://freepolicybriefs.org/2020/05/04/women-represen
tation-in-politics/

Gender Quotas effect meritocracy. The claim that gender quotas negatively affects
meritocracy is sustained by the idea that the female
candidates being made room for will push out more
competent male candidates. After a gender quota was
put in place in the Swedish electoral system, female
candidate competence stayed stable, and mens
competence greatly improved. Rather than thwarting
meritocratic principles, gender quotas actually
complement them by “weeding out mediocre male
candidates”. Not only do gender quotas work for greater
representation, but “they raise the overall level of
competence among all those who are selected,” (Thwart
Meritocracy).
https://www.gendereconomy.org/gender-quotas-do-not-t
hwart-meritocracy/

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-politi
cal-science-review/article/quotas-for-men-reframing-gen
der-quotas-as-a-means-of-improving-representation-for-
all/7296949BAF74A139E443DE7F057EAAB2

Works Cited: Add your list of credible sources in here. Make sure to use proper MLA citations.
You will put together a formal team copy of this to turn in on Debate Day!
Campbell, David, and Christina Wolbrecht. "How women candidates are making girls feel better about politics." The Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2019,

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/11/22/how-women-candidates-are-making-girls-feel-better-about-politics/. Accessed 2 Jan. 2021.

Long, Heather. "80 nations set quotas for female leaders. Should the U.S. be next?" The Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2019,

www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/80-nations-set-quotas-for-female-leaders-should-the-us-be-next/2019/03/29/a27434ba-45c4-11e9-aaf8-4512

a6fe3439_story.html. Accessed 2 Jan. 2021.

Karen Nikos-Rose, UC Davis. “Is There (Still) a Gender Gap in Politics?” University of California, 7 Jan. 2020,

www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/there-still-gender-gap-politics.

Morehead, Elizabeth, and Margaret Hennessy. "The Role Model Effect." New America, 28 Aug. 2017,

www.newamerica.org/better-life-lab/blog/role-model-effect/#:~:text=The%20Role%20Model%20Effect%20can,ranks%20of%20their%20professional%2

0careers. Accessed 4 Jan. 2021.

Newburger, Emma. "Despite gains, the US ranks 75th globally in women's representation in government." CNBC Make It, 5 Mar. 2019,

www.cnbc.com/2019/03/04/the-us-ranks-75th-in-womens-representation-in-government.html. Accessed 4 Jan. 2021.

Peçanha, Sergio. “Opinion | At This Rate, It'll Take 60 Years to Reach Gender Equality in U.S. Politics.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 21 Aug. 2020,

www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/08/21/this-rate-itll-take-60-years-reach-gender-equality-us-politics/?arc404=true.

Piatti-Crocker, Adriana. "Why American politics needs gender quota." The Hill, 9 Oct. 2019,

thehill.com/opinion/campaign/465074-why-american-politics-needs-gender-quota. Accessed 2 Jan. 2021.

"Population, female (% of total population)." The World Bank Data, 2019, data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL.FE.ZS. Accessed 2 Jan. 2021.

Reeves, Richard V. “100 Years on, Politics Is Where the U.S. Lags the Most on Gender Equality.” Brookings, Brookings, 24 June 2020,

www.brookings.edu/essay/100-years-on-politics-is-where-the-u-s-lags-most-on-gender-equality/.

STEP 3: Debate Prep! - January 4 (9am-11am)

On Monday, January 4, you will have the chance to meet with your debate partner in a breakout room to
combine your research and build your debate. First, take a look at the debate format, so you will know what
you need to prepare. Visit the Debate Prep
slideshow to see more information.

Constructive Speech (4 minutes): Make sure to include a hook, your introduction, your claims,
and your analysis. Constructive Speeches Introduce New Issues.
● For the PRO (Affirmative) side, this is the only entirely scripted speech, in that it is composed almost
entirely of expert quotations, clearly organized into solid positions. The affirmative team sets forth a
 case. A case defends a new policy, called a plan.
● For the CON (Negative) side, this should lay out the choices for how you will attack the affirmative. It
is important to remember that the negative team attacks the affirmative plan, not the topic. For this
reason, the negative side constructive can never be completely scripted.

Team member responsible: Marin

Draft your constructive speech here:

Half of the world’s population is female and that needs to be reflected in our lawmakers. Gender quotas
ensure that this parity happens. Gender quotas guarantee that our leaders directly reflect the people, create
an immediate change, allow women to be equally considered for leadership positions, and encourage more
young girls to be involved in politics.
When discussing gender quotas in Argentina, Adriana Piatti-Crocker from The Hill states, “introducing policy
that is more inclusive of women in public office is not only a question of representativeness akin to a
democratic political system like the U.S. but it is also a means to diversify policy and expand women’s
perspectives.” Women automatically better represent women than men do and gender quotas ensure that
policy will be made that benefits not only men, but also women.
Gender quotas would ensure equal representation now, as opposed to waiting for the problem to slowly fix
itself. According to CNBC Make It’s Emma Newburger when discussing the 2018 midterm election,
“[women] ran in record numbers and won a historic number of House and Senate seats — 102 women now
serve in the House, 23.5 percent of the 435 total seats.” This shows that despite record numbers and a
significant increase, women only make up 23.5 percent, no where close to 50% which is the goal. A gender
quota would ensure this 50% and not wait for the change to slowly happen on its own.
Additionally, women have been overlooked for positions in all workforces without gender quotas, simply
because of sexism in the workforce. According to Heather Long from the Washington Post when
interviewing Alexander DeCroo, “...quotas are needed — at least for a while — to force political leaders to
recognize talented women who have been systematically overlooked.” A gender quota will ensure that
women are equally considered for positions, instead of being denied the opportunity when a male
counterpart with equal or less experience applies for the same position.
Gender quotas would also encourage more girls and women to be involved in politics. According to David
Campbell and Christina Wolbrecht from The Washington Post “previous research has found that women,
and especially young women, become more politically engaged when they see women running visible,
viable campaigns — even if those candidates don’t win.” This was clear when Hillary Clinton lost the 2016
Presidential Election and many young girls lost hope in democracy, not gaining this hope again until the
2018 midterms where a record number of women ran for the House and Senate, according to The
Washington Post. This role model effect is not only for politics, but also schools and businesses; essentially
if girls have female teachers or see female store owners or entrepreneurs, they are more encouraged to
strive for these roles. According to New America, “The Role Model Effect can help individuals advance in
their personal and professional lives by creating images of relatable individuals whose success seems
attainable.” If girls know other women can do certain things or hold certain positions, they are already more
encouraged to want to be like these role models.
One day we may not need gender quotas, but until there are an equal number of women and men in
leadership positions, these quotas are a necessity for democracy.

Crossfire #1 (3 minutes):
● Be prepared with questions for your opponents. You will add questions to this section BASED ON
WHAT THEY SAID
● Answer your opponent as succinctly as possible. Don’t evade and try to be honest. Be prepared to
fire back with a question of your own

Team member responsible: Marin

The team member that did the Constructive Speech should do this part!

Brainstorm questions you will ask the opposition here, but leave room to add more as you listen to
the debate:
- If you want men and women to be equal, why not implement gender quotas as a huge step
in the right direction?
- What is an alternative option to gender quotas that also results in equality for men and
women in leadership positions?
- Do you suggest any policies be put in place that encourage women to run for leadership
positions?
- How is enforcing a gender quota undemocratic? It seems more undemocratic for women to
constantly be fighting for opportunities that men are already given.
- Since you think that gender quotas will thwart meritocracy, what do you have to say about
women being turned away for positions they are more than qualified for just because a man
applied for the same position?

Rebuttal Speech (4 minutes):

● Rebuttal speeches refine and explain previously introduced issues (no new issues allowed).
● Each speaker should have narrowed down the number of arguments, focusing on the most
important. Use a declining amount of quotations.

Team member responsible: Max

The team member that did NOT do the Constructive Speech should do this part!

Draft your rebuttal speech here:

Gender quotas in government are made to break down barriers. By implementing these quotas, the goal
would be to achieve the American ideal of equal opportunity. Last month “the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s
database of women in world parliaments ranked the United States 78th out of 193 countries in the
world,” (The Hill). We’re falling behind other democratic countries in representation of women in
politics because of our lack of an organized effort for inclusion.

Gender quotas have been shown to have many benefits in democratic countries around the world .
More inclusion means a greater diversity in voting options, and candidates that make voters feel
better represented. Gender quotas are also a temporary measure, and won’t be necessary once
parity is achieved.

For years women striving to work in politics have had their qualifications and achievements
minimized by a male dominated government, and have been looked at as unable to lead. These
barriers are something that have very slowly been changing, but gender quotas would bring about
that change faster. Belgium introduced a gender quota in 1994 when only 16% of their parliament
seats were held by women, and today 40% of their parliament seats are held by women (Long). In
2018, a record breaking 24% of US congress was women and 18% of state governors were
women. These numbers pale in comparison to other democratic countries. Making our political
system truly representative and democratic would mean working towards parity in government.

Discuss Meritocracy if they bring it up:

The claim that gender quotas (Create “token positions” on a mass scale) ( is sustained by the idea
that the female candidates being made room for will push out more competent male candidates.
After a gender quota was put in place in the Swedish electoral system, female candidate
competence stayed stable, and mens competence greatly improved. Rather than thwarting
meritocratic principles, gender quotas actually complement them by “weeding out mediocre male
candidates”. Not only do gender quotas work for greater representation, but “they raise the overall
level of competence among all those who are selected,” (Thwart Meritocracy).

The World Economic Forum calculates gender equality in each country based on 4 criteria;
educational attainment, health and survival, economic participation and opportunity, and political
empowerment. Each category is given a rating from 0-1, with one meaning parity. The US ranks \
well in the first three categories, with a 1.0 in educational attainment, a .976 in health and survival,
and a .756 in economic participation and opportunity. In political empowerment, the US receives a
.164. Countries that have gender quotas in politics have higher ratings, such as Belgium’s .8. The
only way to achieve gender equality in government in the near future is to implement gender
quotas.

Crossfire #2 (3 minutes):
● Be prepared with questions for your opponents. You will add questions to this section BASED ON
WHAT THEY SAID
● Answer your opponent as succinctly as possible. Don’t evade and try to be honest. Be prepared to
fire back with a question of your own

Team member responsible: Max

The team member that did the Rebuttal Speech should do this part!

Brainstorm questions you will ask the opposition here, but leave room to add more as you listen to
the debate:
1. How do you propose the United States combats inequality in politics without the use of
gender quotas?
a. Will this method be effective enough to put us on par with other democratic
countries?
2. Women in the US generally win elections at the same rate as men, but are much less likely
to run. What alternative option do you propose that would help solve this problem?
3. Only four UA countries rank worse than the US in parliamentary representation. Can you
give a reason beside the lack of gender quotas that explains our lack of representation?

Summary Speech (2 minutes): Summarize the main points in the debate and your side’s main
arguments.

Team member responsible: Marin

The team member that did the Constructive Speech should do this part!

Draft your summary speech here:

Gender quotas are necessary to ensure that elected officials reflect the people they represent, to
ensure gender parity happens now as opposed to over time, to correct for women being
systemically overlooked, and to encourage more women and girls to pursue careers with more
women role models.
Since half of the population is female (The World Bank), it would only make sense for half of all
people in leadership positions to be female. A gender quota is a direct change to ensure equal
representation. Yes, the amount of women in leadership positions is increasing, but at a rate that
will take decades to actually have parity. In order to have equality now, we need a gender quota. It
wouldn’t make sense to wait for change when there is an option to make this change happen now.
Additionally, women have been overlooked for various jobs and elected positions and without
gender quotas this discrimination will continue to happen. Talented, overqualified women are
constantly being overlooked for leadership roles (The Washington Post).
Lastly, if girls and younger women see women in leadership positions they will be more
encouraged to follow in their footsteps (New America). A gender quota would guarantee that girls
have female role models to look up to and want to be like. Without this quota, girls will be more
used to seeing men in leadership roles and may not think that these opportunities are open to
them.
A gender quota is needed for not only politics, but also school staff, businesses, and many more
corporations in order to have true equality in our society.

Grand Crossfire (3 minutes): Brainstorm questions that you will ask the opposition to drive home
the rightness of your argument and wrongness of their argument.

BOTH Team members will be responsible for this part!

TIP: You may want to take your 2 min to organize just prior to this part!

Add questions in here during the debate!

1. If gender quotas aren’t the answer, why do countries that have them achieve greater gender
equality in government?
2. If there is an uneven playing field between gender currently in the electoral process,
wouldn’t our current electoral process thwart meritocracy?
3. Male discrimination is to a far less scale than female discrimination. How would gender
quotas encourage this?
4. I think that the problem is not the gender quota itself, but the response of the people, mainly
men, to it. Many of your points only discuss how colleagues would react to a quota instead
of why the quota wouldn't help. If there are no
Ill ask the nextx one
Ok
Sorry ik that question wasnt good

Final Focus Speech (2 minutes): Tell the judge why your side won the debate. For this part, you
will speak directly to the judge.

Team member responsible: Max

The team member that did NOT do the Constructive Speech should do this part!
TIP: You could also take your 2 min to organize just prior to this part, if you didn’t take it before!

Add some ideas in here prior to the debate, but you will likely need to draft this section as you
listen to the debate.

Gender quotas are something that the United States needs right now to ensure that our
government is reflective of the people it represents. Gender quotas in government support
meritocracy and strengthen our democracy as a whole.
With the use of gender quotas, the US would finally be able to break the barriers for women in
government, and quickly bring our representation close to parity.
A greater diversity of candidates will also make voter representation greater, which supports a
democratic system. Voters will feel more comfortable with their choice in candidate, and will feel
empowered by choosing a candidate that is right for them.
Not only do gender quotas achieve greater representation, they also increase the quality of all
candidates elected, and improve the efficiency of governments. Women better represent women,
so gender quotas will encourage greater voter participation, and greater community activity in
politics. These are all important functions of a democracy.
Without gender quotas, parity in government is not achievable in the near future. Compared to
other democratic countries, our increase of women in government is slow. We need to follow the
lead of many other democratic countries, and implement temporary gender quotas to work towards
a better future.

(Negate their main point of meritocracy if they use it)

STEP 4: Debate Team Check-in! - January 6 (@ assigned time)

On Wednesday, January 6, you will check-in with your debate teacher during your assigned check-in time.
Prior to this time, make sure to check in with your debate partner via email, text, zoom, etc to get organized
and discuss your goals for the day. During your meeting with your debate teacher, be prepared to run through
major arguments with the teacher grading you. You should have final speeches and lines of reasoning to show
them, even if there is a part of it that you are unsure of.

Notes from meeting with your debate teacher:

STEP 5: Debate Day! - January 7 (9 am)

Welcome to Debate Day, Thursday, January 7. Prior to class on Thursday, make sure to format, revise, and
polish. Make changes based on the feedback from your teacher. Adjust thoughts, formats, etc. and seek out
any additional research you may need. Think about questions you may ask the other side, and questions they
might ask you. Practice improvising questions, answers and rebuttals.

● 9:00am Meet in our Interdisciplinary Zoom to get instructions for the day

Debate Grading Rubric: