40 Practice Resolutions, Sorted by Level

Practicing on a real topic beats practicing on nothing. These are original practice resolutions, not pulled from an active competitive topic list, sorted roughly by the complexity of values debate they invite.

For Level 1-2 (Foundations, Case Construction): concrete, familiar stakes

• Resolved: Homework should not be assigned over school breaks.
• Resolved: Schools should require students to perform community service to graduate.
• Resolved: Cell phones should be banned in middle and high school classrooms.
• Resolved: Students should be allowed to grade their own class participation.
• Resolved: Team sports should not use tryouts to cut players.
• Resolved: Libraries should remove late fees for overdue books.
• Resolved: Schools should replace final exams with final projects.
• Resolved: Students should be allowed to retake any test once.
• Resolved: Recess should be mandatory through 8th grade.
• Resolved: Schools should start later in the morning.

For Level 3-4 (Refutation, Competitive): real values tension

• Resolved: A just society ought to prioritize equality of outcome over equality of opportunity.
• Resolved: Individuals have a moral obligation to assist strangers in need.
• Resolved: Civil disobedience is morally justified in a democracy.
• Resolved: The right to privacy ought to be valued above the right to security.
• Resolved: Restorative justice is preferable to retributive justice in the criminal justice system.
• Resolved: Nations ought to prioritize environmental protection over economic growth.
• Resolved: A just government ought to prioritize universal health care over other social services.
• Resolved: Whistleblowing ought to be protected regardless of consequence.
• Resolved: Democratic governments ought to prioritize the will of the majority over the rights of the minority.
• Resolved: Developed nations have an obligation to accept refugees.

For Level 5-6 (Circuit, Bid): built for theory, framework, and kritikal engagement

• Resolved: Justice ought to be blind to the consequences of an action.
• Resolved: In matters of societal risk, individual liberty ought to be valued above collective security.
• Resolved: A just legal system ought to value rehabilitation over retribution.
• Resolved: Ethical obligations to future generations ought to outweigh obligations to the present generation.
• Resolved: The state has a greater obligation to protect negative rights than positive rights.
• Resolved: In a democracy, the minority ought to have veto power over majoritarian decisions that violate fundamental rights.
• Resolved: Personal autonomy ought to be valued above communal welfare.
• Resolved: States ought to prioritize the preservation of cultural identity over economic integration.
• Resolved: In situations of oppression, revolution is a justified response.
• Resolved: A just economic system ought to prioritize collective welfare over individual property rights.
• Resolved: Moral obligation is not contingent upon the ability to fulfill it.
• Resolved: In the context of criminal justice, retribution ought to outweigh deterrence as a goal of punishment.
• Resolved: A government's legitimacy is derived from the consent of the governed, not from its outcomes.
• Resolved: The individual's right to know ought to outweigh the state's obligation to protect national security.
• Resolved: In situations where they conflict, obligations to family ought to outweigh obligations to society.
• Resolved: A just society ought to prioritize the rehabilitation of criminals over the protection of the community.
• Resolved: When they conflict, the preservation of human life ought to be valued above the preservation of individual liberty.
• Resolved: Environmental sustainability ought to be valued above national sovereignty.
• Resolved: In a democracy, felons ought to retain the right to vote.
• Resolved: A just society ought to value the right to strike above the right to a stable economy.

Pick one, give yourself 30 minutes of prep, and write a one-page case. That is the drill.