Abstract
This article extends the challenge I offered at the National Communication Associate (NCA) Annual Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah in November 2018. During the conference I posed the following challenge: The Speech and Debate community should shift our idea of “winning” from solely competition success, and trophy accumulation, towards a renewed sense of citizenship—primarily, by engaging social change, as an outcome, throughout the competition season. This challenge arose from a perceived malaise about gun control discourse. I argue competitive speech and debate provides a robust venue to engage current discussion on gun control and the community to embrace our focus on advocacy. Connecting Asen’s (2004) “discourse theory of citizenship” to my challenge furthers speech and debate’s commitment to increasing our student’s role as engaged citizens. These arguments are followed by two important implications and some ideas for increasing student advocacy.
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Recommended Citation
Foote, Justin Gus
(2022)
"Forensics in Times of Crisis. Reframing Citizenship and Social Change as "Winning","
Speaker & Gavel: Vol. 58:
Iss.
1, Article 4.
Available at:
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/speaker-gavel/vol58/iss1/4