Policy debate, a form of debate that originated in the 1970s based upon progressive LD debating, is a form of two-on-two debating in which one side is the "affirmative" and the other side is the "negative." The affirmative team proposes a plan and the negative team argues why that plan should not be adopted. The topic, or "resolution," for policy debate changes annually so, unlike other forms of debate, debaters will debate the same topic throughout the course of the year. Policy debate is a very research-intensive activity. Unlike traditional writing where the author may briefly quote or even paraphrase evidence, policy debate relies on the use of cards, or pieces of evidence directly quoted word for word from the source; this makes policy debate very fast paced as debaters stuff a lot into each speech.

 

Policy debate can be seen as the more "intense" form of debate as compared to LD and PF (public forum) debating. However, the extensive research, rapid argumentation, and in-depth claims made in policy debate help students rapidly build critical thinking skills and be extremely well-informed about the world around them. 

 

Policy debate is great for those who want to debate the intricacies of this world and discuss arguments that are impacted out to the extreme: often scenarios like "extinction" or "nuclear war." Also, policy debate is a great way for passionate debaters to find a haven in which their "crazy ideas" and "philosophical endeavors" are welcomed with open arms.

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