Please choose from the following topics:
I. Abortion
II. The taxation system: Fair or unfair
III. Should the legal drinking age be lowered to 16
IV. Technology: Are we too dependent on it?
Assignment:
Often, arguments – which center on refuting an opponent’s perspective – are
antagonistic and can foster emotionally and negatively charged reactions against the
argument and the people involved. Rogerian argument, based on the psychology of Carl
Rogers, seeks to diffuse those situations by thoroughly considering different stances on
issues, finding common ground, and arriving at a compromise. The task of Rogerian
argument, then, is to address conflicting views fairly, accurately, and empathetically. This
approach can strengthen any argument since it demonstrates that one has considered other
possibilities before arriving at a belief. The end result of a Rogerian argument is a
compromised solution that is more likely to satisfy all parties.
For this essay, then, your task is to develop your own original argument about some
theme or social topic. Rather than focusing on one reading as you might have done in
previous assignments, now you will examine differing viewpoints on a single theme with
the goal of articulating a “middle ground” position between opposing viewpoints.
Objectives:
• Think outside of binary oppositions, which often doom a debate to failure.
• Develop the skill to address emotionally charged topics with a degree of intellectual
objectivity.
• Learn how to use the rhetorical triangle effectively.
• Integrate or synthesize the ideas from selected readings.
• Learn the value and necessity of compromise when approaching complex issues.
• Incorporate in-text citations and develop a Works Cited page.
Requirements:
MLA Format; 12-point font (Times New Roman)
5 pages, double-spaced
4 sources (YOU MUST PROVIDE A PDF OF THE SOURCES USED OR A DIRECT
LINK TO A WEBSITE)
o A note to the writer, I must follow this step so please provide so I can easily show
the instructor where the sources came from
o Also note, only use sources from the United States, and ones that an 18 year-old
college student could easily attain.
Integrate quotations to support and illustrate each of the arguments presented
Techniques:
• Begin by finding a reading from which you can identify multiple perspectives
(arguments) on an issue. An argument might be identified from a character’s position in a
narrative, an author’s voice in an essay or from a narrator in a poem. Once you have
chosen your reading, ask a few of the following complex questions:
o How is the character’s/author’s/narrator’s argument true?
o What are some examples from the reading selection that support that position
o What outside evidence might support that position?
o What is my position on this issue? How does it differ from the reading?
o What are some examples from the reading selection that support my position?
o What outside evidence might support my position?
o What common ground exists between the persona’s and my argument?
o How can that common ground be expressed in a new, compromised claim?
o What evidence is there in support of a common ground argument?
• Looking over the answers to those questions, begin to articulate the complex question
that might address the variety of answers you have identified.
• Remember that your thesis statement will likely take the form of a complex question.
The reading may provide one answer to that question; you may provide a different
answer. Rogerian argument, however, will also answer the question but will do so by finding a
common ground between the answer provided by the reading and the answer you provided.
Organization:
I. Introduction
a. Introduce the theme
b. Explain the relevance of this theme to your audience. The appeal to your
audience’s ethos is important in this type of argument
c. As your thesis, reveal the issue in the form of a complex question instead of
creating the traditional, authoritative thesis. (Remember the Rogerian argument
seeks to dismantle difference and emotion)
II. Body A
a. Begin with one perspective on the issue, one answer to the complex question.
b. Find literature that exemplifies this attitude and offer appropriate, documented
quotations. (Remember to use an author’s full name the first time he or she is
introduced)
c. Find outside resources that support this attitude, provide evidence from them, and
offer appropriate citations for that work.
d. Show an understanding and appreciation of this argument
e. Do not resort to attacking this opinion, even if it is very different from your own.
III. Body B
a. Now explain a different/opposing perspective on the issue. How else might that
complex question be answered?
b. Cite literature and outside evidence that supports this attitude.
IV. Body C
a. Identify common ground between the two stances
b. Find a compromise between both attitudes
c. Provide evidence from additional outside resources to support the compromise.
V. Conclusion
a. In closing, you will summarize what you have learned through careful analysis
and compromise
b. Give readers advice or call them to action if appropriate
VI. Works Cited Page (Remember, I need to turn in a PDF of the sources used or a direct link
There is no obligation to do this, but if the writer wanted to add some notations along the
margins to identify the these, thesis, or anything that could help me to become a better writer it
would be greatly appreciated.
