Policy Debate is a two-person, two team competitive debate on a fixed yearly topic. Emphasis is placed on research and evidence rather than persuasive delivery. Each competitor gives a Constructive Speech of 8 or 9 minutes and a Rebuttal speech of 5 or 6 minutes.
Times vary by tournament.
Speeches are typically delivered at high rates of speed, which is also known as spreading. The 2000-2001 Topic area is Africa. You can read the Africa topic paper here or here . Glen Frappier of Gonzaga University is making daily updates to the Afria Digest , which offers a categorized review of the topic discussion made on E-debate. Additionally, UF's Center for African Studies publishes The African Quarterly , the online journal of african studies.