Expectations and

Norms
1. Please stay muted unless you are asked to speak
2. Questions in the chat & responses in the chat
3. There will be breaks for questions
4. Have paper or be prepared to type!
5. Try not to assume genders <3
6. Anything to add?
Framework
Framing Gender
● What is Framing
● When to Frame / Not Frame
● How-To Guide: Prep, Structure of Framework, Analytic Work
● Framing in Opening & Closing
● Framing Gender: (What is Gender tho), Prep, Context Framing, Impact Framing
What is framing
Honestly, unclear. Basically what the debate round is about/ not about & why. I’m going to focus specifically on
running framework arguments, which I don’t think has been covered: context arguments that shift the framing of
the round are well covered in other videos (Adam Hawksbee; Alex Harris). I link these + my notes of them in the
last slide.

Framing tells the judge how to interpret (1) what you have proven, (2) what you have disproven in the round

→ why it matters given the rest of the arguments in the round

→ why this gets you the ballot: this is usually through establishing a metric or “win condition” that you best meet
or through having analysis that co-opts or deprioritizes every other impact in the round

THW pay reparations to women:

→ what is an obvious argument you might want to put in an OG case.
→ What is the win condition this argument needs
Exampew in and analyze everything within the debate in this framework
 When to not Frame
● The motion is narrow, and everyone will probably agree on what to discuss
○ THBT Companies should not take a stance on gay rights issues
● The motion tells you what the debate is about and excludes any other metric or
interpretation
○ THBT the the use of academic discourse has been bad for queer rights advocacy
● You are speaking after each case, each case agrees on what the motion is about
○ THW subsidize feminist pornography (lots of potential clash but for ex. A whole
round might want to talk about womxn’s sexuality)
 When to do framing
Teams want to prioritize a different value / interest and thus their case
Generally:
● The motion is context dependent or unclear: THBT feminist icons and their cults of
personality have been good for feminism
● There is a proposed rights tradeoff: In areas with high rates of gendered violence,
THW not try women for violent crimes they commit

For Motion Type:

There are many values to consider in implementing a policy or comparing worlds THW;
THP a world: THW ban single sex schools // THP a world without gender
There are many ways to decide (normative): THBT X is “good”/“bad”; THS; THO
There are many interests for an actor:“TH, as X, would”: As Ana, THW take the job
Questions So Far?
How to do framing: Prep
● win conditions / burden: think about what the other bench will run
○ will opp defend the status quo or something else
○ how much change does the motion actually give you

● team identity: what will all of your arguments prove together in a word / phrase
○ Write a word for word sentence that identifies this and connects to burden

● weighing: why are these the right conditions + why you will best meet

THW institute gender and racial quotas in all government cabinets

How to structure framing
What picture is being put in the frame (Identify):
● What is your team identity (value/belief)
● What are the other present values/beliefs
Who is the viewer (Pick a metric to compare):
● Identify the actor comparing them (motion actor / neutral observer / fact)
● What metrics (definitions or interests) should they use
● May also include where normative:
○ What existing relationship does the motion actor have to these outcomes
○ What relationship should the motion actor have to them (legal / moral / historic)
What is the center of the frame (Justify/Prioritize → Next slides!)
● Why is yours the most important
THW not allow religious communities to expel members on the basis of views or
actions that contradict doctrinal teachings
How to strategize framing:
● They reverse instead of accessing theirs (contravene): Gov gets X and Y

● Theirs is instrumental to yours (only care in as much as we get yours - prefer

yours): Need Y only to get X

● Theirs is secondary to yours (need yours to be able to access theirs - prefer yours):
Need X before can get Y

● Theirs can be accessed in other ways / at other times; yours only here: X only
gotten here; Y other places

● Moral or principled claim to yours based on who affected or debate context:

Greater duty to X than Y
How to weigh framing -
mechanisms
■ Timeframe (continuous V temporary; short term V longterm)
■ Magnitude / Significance
■ Definite / Possible
■ Root Cause / Proximate Cause
■ Irreversible / Reversible
■ Limitations / Capacity shift (make more possible eg overton; or make
more possible eg tech rights VS more risks / worse behaviour )
■ Rights / Duties
■ Individual / Collective
Questions So Far?
 Framing Opening
Benefits
● When you are explaining context as a way to explain why some people are more affected / affected in a more
important way: makes you sound true. Either the other team has to spend a lot of time trying to disprove what
you think is happening or important, or opponent has to just agree with what you think is true + matters.
Either way you look really good
● Basically it is comparative argumentation but just better
○ without wasting a lot of time: you can broadly compare the rest of the debate as opposed to having to
compare your case or impact to each different impacts from other teams
○ Can be preemptive and make the framing before the arguments are there to compare to
Policy Motion Particulars
● Try to wait until you hear CG / CO POIs and the OO/OG first speech. Tells you whether you need to
prioritize your values here (vs if they agree) & what you need to compare them to or against.
● If the opening team agrees with you and there is no clear value identification based on the POIs you do get
(or don’t) from backhalf, you should probably still add a layer of analysis that centralizes your decision to
the decision of the judge (eg: regardless of the cost, in this instance, X is the most important value because
weighing mechanisms)
 Framing Closing
Benefits
● The only new argument you can run in whip cos not really an argument: just very selective ID, impacting,
and weighing of arguments
● Can (legally!) deal with your opening (much safer than hoping judges will allow you to rebut opening)

Particulars when dealing with opening

● Identify the openings!: What do opening teams want to prioritize V What does your case better access
than opening
● Compare: What is outside of the debate: (what can be changed; which actors actually respond; interests)
● Comparative + Weighing
What is gender
A dominant narrative about how you should act: social feedback* + self creation
- Genetic? No, there are a lot of different gentic presentations behind XX and XY
- Sex characteristics? Infinite permutations
- Hormonal? Fluctuates based on time, what you eat, medications, other factors; not
always aligned with any other sex indicators

How we assess genders - different concepts:

- Spectrum? M / F and a lot of people in between
- Blank canvas? Constructed thru decisions each person makes
- Socialized? Based on how people and institutions interact with you
- It can change over time! It can change all the time! It can be multiples!

Gender is a coersive narrative that produces power asymmetries

Do y’all have questions on
gender?

No question is a “silly”
question, here for you <3
How to do gender: Prep
What impacts on gender do you think the motion will have (for each bench)
● Construction
● Safety
● Change

Team Identity: what impacts on gender will your case focus on

Why is this the primary / most relevant / most important impact set
● vs gender impacts
● vs other impacts

THBT the feminist movement should seek to sexualize men

 How to do gender:
Context Framing
Global: what problems and experiences are common among all genders? Are there
specific places where the impact is different? Which set of genders is relevant here?

Culture: what are existing gender narratives - how the motion changes/responds

Domestic: what are experiences of genders in regions/locations: are some affected

differently? Is there a specific moral relationship between them and other places?

Intersectionality: are there divergent needs and experiences? Do some goals or values
trade off with or oppose?
***Useful often, but almost always required in movement motions
*** Tons of really good in depth lectures on context framing (Hawksbee, Tim)
Global:
THBT gender and sexual minority groups (feminist and LGBTQIA+) should ensure that decision making and
representation for their cause is done by members of the minority group and limit the advocacy of allies to
support and mass action (such as protests and petitions)

Culture:
THBT local queer activist groups should aggressively push for the redefinition of Hijras as ordinary individuals
with no unique supernatural powers

Domestic:
THBT the feminist movements in Central Asian states should also focus on gender issues that affect men (toxic
masculinity etc.) rather than exclusively focus on the issues that affect only women

Intersectionality:
THBT the feminist movement should actively promote norms of stable monogamous relationships
 How to do gender:
Impact Framing
Direct ID impacts unique to gender: erasure, policing, commodification, trafficking

Secondary ID impacts*- access: spaces can be expressed/experienced; social contexts that

provide gender narratives; tools for transition / affirmation/safety; represent
→ Can be prereq for gender identity + for building tools for and organizing change!!!

Tertiary ID impacts through change: Realize / challenge power asymmetries in

relationships (eg sexual empowerment); Improve gender specific conditions eg shelters;
social perceptual shift (eg: gathering of evidence and arrests in legal cases; state choice in
prosecution; family support); Produce rights or legal accommodations
 Recap on impact framing:
Usually in any gender related motion, different genders will experience different
impacts through the motion, or people of marginalized genders will be affected
differently than people of privileged genders

So you need to identify what type of impact each group experiences

And then you can use strategizing or weighing to explain why that impact is more
important or the group impacted is more important
Last Questions on Content?

Exercise Next
Rights
Given the technology that men could artificially bear children, THW require parents seeking to have a child have
the parent who bears the child be randomly selected

Ideology and movement construction

THBT feminist organizations should prioritize progressive, well off communities as opposed to communities that
are more financially needy, but adhere to strong traditional gender roles
THBT feminists should support the death penalty for crimes of severe sexual assault in countries with extreme
gender inequality

Media narratives & gender construction

THW require all media aimed at children to undermine traditional gender roles
THBT images designed to even slightly sexually arouse should be restricted to the XXX domain

Gender blind policies & unique gender impacts

THW replace all existing welfare with cash transfer payments
THW require companies to use absolute blind recruitment
THW award only gender neutral formal art and entertainment prizes (oscars, etc)
Other Lectures on Framing
((Contact me to chat re: gender and queer
theory)) Comparative Argumentation and Impacting Arguments with Steven Rajavinothan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZZdqVFlhaI
Framing with Alex Harris
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1NioPGnlZQ
"How to win debates without really making arguments: An Introduction to Framing" with Adam Hawksbee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd_8jrid_mk
Comparative Argumentation with Owen Mooney
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1_uAab2p8A&list=PLIZWcBGublnH50bmohV_Yy4zRvGfYUtXO&i
ndex=19
First Principles with Tim
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVRl8x_VlEw&list=PL3IyzP-XkgJcxeQ89IpyUtoO6PTddqglo

My notes on the lectures:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SMOvs3PsQs4y_7P0u1HeO8CauXZZ6_HTo0yaV9_Yfx4/edit?usp=sharing