Staying Topical: A Debate Podcast: Recent Episodes
Carlos B. Pelayo
Have you ever wanted to be a stronger speaker? More articulate when arguing? Develop sharper analysis on today’s complicated political issues? Say no more, this podcast is for you! Staying Topical doesn’t shy away from disagreement – we discuss issues of trade tariffs, election protection, climate change, & more through the unique perspective of debate. Featuring deep-dive analysis on today’s global issues, lessons on debate theory, & interviews with debaters & debate coaches alike, come learn what drives so many students to compete in this sport. Who knows, perhaps you yourself are the next great orator?
This entirety of this episode and post is going to be dedicated to presenting a group project done for PHIL 303: Philosophy of Science. While the content is not uniquely related to debate, our discussion of Settler Colonialism utilizes literature & arguments that make the rounds in policy debate circles (Set Col Kritik). With the … Continue reading CSUF Project, PHIL 303: Settler Colonial Legacies in the Anthropocene →
Time for Episode 4! We’re going for the long episode today, which includes a new segment called What’s Topical Today. In this segment we briefly glance at several newsworthy events for the week & explain why each is significant. Today we’ll be covering a lot, beginning with the value of roleplaying government in debate. Anecdotally … Continue reading 4 – Policy & Pretend: How To Create Plans In Debate (ft. Kristina Rietveld) →
Welcome to Episode 3, where I mispronounce “hegemony” at least once. I’ll be playing around with a new mini “Blitz” episode this week, which intends to cover a debatable topic in the span of 20-25 minutes. Each Blitz episode will be loosely organized in the style of debate cases, which includes a Framework, Background, & … Continue reading 3 – (Blitz) What’s Topical About Venezuela? →
Stephen Toulmin – British logician, author, & educator – is well-known for his volumes of works on ethics & philosophical reasoning, but even more recognizable than those volumes is his contribution to the way we think about arguments. Arguments aren’t passive – they’re data-driven, impact-heavy battering rams of reasoning; in this endeavor, Toulmin was a … Continue reading 2 – Arguments: The Toulmin Model (ft. Dr. Gary Rybold) →
Welcome to the first episode of the program! In this podcast that explores the world of debate, we’ll first take a look at similarities/differences between TV debates & academic debate. Afterwards, we’ll take a dive into the history behind debate, which began in the early 1900s. Finally, we’ll examine a few ground rules that make … Continue reading 1 – Pilot: Welcome to Staying Topical! (ft. Tristen Tucker) →