Presenter: Amanda Perkins
Faculty Mentor: Trond Jacobsen
Presentation Type: Oral
Primary Research Area: Humanities
Major: History, French
Funding Source: HURF, $2,500
The National Parliamentary Debate Association (NPDA) tends to be male dominated and those who do not identify as men are a definitive minority. As a representative of the University of Oregon in collegiate debate, I have consistently observed a culture of masculinity. It is my perception that the most successful teams competitively are generally those who engage in debate in a masculine way by using aggressive techniques in their logic and language. I have researched feminist theories of argumentation and rhetoric and using these works, I have formulated ideas about what types of argumentation and rhetoric are gendered masculine. At the David Frank Tournament of Scholars in February 2016, I facilitated a focus group with debaters on the NPDA circuit to diversify my perspective of how masculinity presents itself in the debate space. My theoretical research coupled with the focus groups have allowed me to create a unique inventory of recognizable ways masculinity presents itself in rhetoric and argumentation. With this information, I have watched various debate rounds and recorded specific observations about performances of masculinity within them using ethnographic research methods. This project culminates in a specific analysis of how masculinity exists within this space and how it correlates to competitive success.