duPont Library: Rhetoric 491: Public Dialogue and Deliberation: Other Resources

Additional Preparation Materials

Managing Your Fear
Toastmasters International video provides tips on how to manage the fear and anxiety of public speaking.
Debate Central
Many general and specific debating materials provided and maintained by the University of Vermont.
How to Perform Well in a Debate
Brief advice from wikihow
Case Construction
How to develop your case according to Western Australia Debating League, Inc.

Polling and Issues Agencies

Gallup
One of the premier organizations for public opinion polling data
Pew Research Center
"Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world."
Harris Poll
"From sports to health, politics to the economy, the Harris Poll reflects Americans’ opinions on a wide range of topics and are regularly published by national, local, consumer, business and trade media outlets."
National Issues Forums
"The institute’s central activity is to publish and distribute an ongoing series of Issue Guides and videos that prepare you for thoughtful discussion of many of today’s thorniest problems—healthcare, immigration, Social Security, and racial strife."

Think Tanks

Think tanks do research and present reports on issues, but they should be viewed with caution by information-seekers, since they are often partisan. Because of this bias, they may be helpful for research into a particular viewpoint. Often the general consensus will align think tanks with a particular place on the political spectrum. Those alignments are noted in the descriptions below.

Brookings Institution
"The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, DC. Our mission is to conduct in-depth research that leads to new ideas for solving problems facing society at the local, national and global level." (Centrist)
Cato Institute
"The Cato Institute is a public policy research organization — a think tank — dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace." (Libertarian)
Heritage Foundation
"The mission of The Heritage Foundation is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense." (Conservative)
Institute for Policy Studies
"IPS is a progressive think tank dedicated to building a more equitable, ecologically sustainable, and peaceful society. In partnership with dynamic social movements, we turn transformative policy ideas into action." (Liberal)
Lexington Institute
"It is the goal of the Lexington Institute to inform, educate, and shape the public debate of national priorities in those areas that are of surpassing importance to the future success of democracy, such as national security, education reform, tax reform, immigration and federal policy concerning science and technology." (Conservative)
Policy Archive
"PolicyArchive is an innovative, new digital archive of global, non-partisan public policy research. It makes use of the power, efficiency, and economy of modern Internet technology to collect and disseminate summaries and full texts, videos, reports, briefs, and multimedia material of think tank, university, government, and foundation-funded policy research." (Bi-partisan)

Jessie Ball duPont Library

Rhetoric 491: Public Dialogue and Deliberation

Other Research Guides

Additional Preparation Materials

Polling and Issues Agencies

Think Tanks