Clarifies how the scheme systems work in C. Perleman and L. Olbrechts-Tyteca's "The New Rhetoric," responds to a critique of it, and examines patterns of scheme use in five panel discussions. Concludes that the description of inferential scheme categories in "The New Rhetoric" is generally complete and useful for the study of…

Discusses the trend in academic debate on policy questions toward a wide acceptance of counterplans, encouraging combinations of proposals which appear at face value able to coexist but upon deeper analysis are incompatible. Argues in opposition to this trend by applying concepts from general systems theory to competition. (KEH)

Uses President Bush's commencement speech to compare and contrast the "link and impact turnaround," an accepted form of argument in academic debate, with the "linguistic turnaround" as executed in political discourse. (NH)

Argues that a definition of interactional argument based primarily on disagreement should be rejected in favor of a more traditional definition based on reason giving. Argues that views of ordinary arguers need not be given priority over those of experts. (SR)

Rejects Robert Rowland and J. Kevin Barge's conclusion (in an article in the same issue) that defining argument as reason giving is superior to defining argument as disagreement. Maintains that defining argument as disagreement is appropriate for an interpretive argumentation theorist, and that argumentation is a complex topic with room for more…

Addresses Pamela Benoit's response to an article in the same issue by the authors, restating key arguments of why a research focus on reason giving is superior to a research focus on disagreement. (SR)

Analyses the rhetorical choices of President George Bush in speeches announcing military action in Panama and Iraq. Demonstrates how understanding those choices can educate students participating in extemporaneous speaking. (SR)

Describes the context of the Valdez disaster in terms of an organizational crisis. Discusses the nature of scientific argument and the norms of scientific ethos as they represent an appropriate standard for measuring the ethics of profit-seeking organizations during times of crisis. (NH)

Argues that political debates can usefully be viewed as a "televisual" form. Shows how audiences bring conventions to the viewing of debates grounded in forms dominating television narrative. Illustrates this perspective by analyzing debates in the 1984 United States Senatorial race between Jesse Helms and James Hunt. (HB)

Analyzes the public impact of the third 1992 presidential campaign debate by measuring voters' perceptions before, during, and after the debate. Examines five hypotheses concerning the effects of debates on voters. Finds that mediated debates are affected by channel and commentary. (HB)

Describes why televised vice presidential debates are worthy of more sustained study. Identifies five purposes of vice presidential debates. Examines critically the 1992 vice presidential debate in light of these purposes. Considers the debate format's effects and the argument strategies of the participants. (HB)