Make sure the debate topic has many areas to discuss.
Choosing a topic for a senior project is the most important step in the entire process because the topic itself will dictate the research you must do. It is better to change your topic than to try to make due with one that simply is not working out.
Policy Debate
Without a doubt, foreign affairs are debatable. For a foreign affairs topic to work best, it must be timely. Conduct some preliminary research to get a sense for what is going on in the world. Some topics work best when you leave room for multiple points of view, and others work best with a closed point of view. Ultimately that decision rests with you.
One way to frame a foreign affairs topic is exemplified by the National Forensics League: "The United States federal government should substantially reduce its military and/or police presence in one or more of the following: South Korea, Japan, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq, Turkey." This leaves you room to adjust your topic to reflect what is going on in current world affairs.
Timeless Issues
Another surefire way to get a debatable topic is to pick what is termed a "timeless issue." These are issues that have consistently been open to public forum debate for years. These issues include hot-button topics such as racism, abortion rights, workers' rights, immigration and gun control.
The secret to success with one of these topics is to eschew broad terms and research one specific case. Keeping your focus narrow allows for debate, but it keeps emotions in check, as these issues have a tendency to produce strong feelings.
Ought To or Not
Topics phrased in the "ought to/ought not to" fashion allow for a bit more freedom and flexibility with research. Because you are making statements such as "Juveniles convicted of violent crimes ought to be tried as adults" or "National security ought to take precedence over personal rights" the burden of proof lies in the quality of research done. When debating these topics it is important to remember that a mix of specific cases and generalizations is key. These debatable topics are more open to compromise between the two opposing sides as well.
Not Only, But Also
A debatable topic phrased in this manner allows the presenter to combine two related topics that might otherwise be too weak to stand on its own. For instance, saying "Not only should the death penalty be ruled unconstitutional, but all death row inmates who were convicted on circumstantial evidence should also be allowed a retrial" gives you two things to research and debate. These topics are also useful because even if one argument does not hold up to scrutiny during debate there is still another side to the coin, so to speak.
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