discussion

Rogerian  Arguments  –  EA  CH  7

• AKA  “Invita+onal  Arguments”   • An  alterna+ve  to  confronta+on  and  angry  arguments   • Carl  Rogers,  American  psychologist,  creator  of  style  

•  Considered  to  be  one  of  the  founding  fathers  of  psychotherapy  research   •  “Humanis+c  approach”  to  psychology   •  Think  “couples  therapy”  

• “people  involved  in  disputes  should  not  respond  to  each  other  un+l   they  could  fully,  fairly,  and  even  sympathe+cally  state  the  other   person’s  posi+on  “  (p.  139).  

More  About  Rogerian  Arguments • Response  to  Aristotelian  argument,  which:  

•  Is  adversarial,  seeks  to  refute  the  other  views;  and     •  Sees  the  listener  as  wrong,  someone  who  now  must  be  overwhelmed  by   evidence.  

•  Instead,  Rogerian  argument:   •  Is  non-­‐confronta+onal,  collegial,  friendly;   •  Shows  sympathe+c  understanding  of  opposing  argument;   •  Recognizes  validity  in  opposing  argument;   •  Recognizes  and  demonstrates  that  those  who  take  other  side  of  argument   are  persons  of  goodwill;   •  Respects  other  views  and  allows  for  plural  truths;  and   •  Seeks  to  achieve  some  degree  of  assent  rather  than  convince  uOerly.  

How  to  Use  the  Rogerian  Method

• State  the  problem   •  There  is  a  debate  on  whether  or  not  marijuana  should  be  legalized.  

• Provide  both  sides  of  the  problem   •  Some  people  think  marijuana  should  be  legalized  because  of  A,  B  and  C.   •  Other  people  think  marijuana  should  remain  illegal  because  of  X,  Y  and  Z.  

• Grant  whatever  validity  the  writer  finds  in  that  posi+on  (recognize   the  circumstances  in  which  the  posi+on  would  be  acceptable)   •  Both  sides  have  value  in  this  debate  because  of  1,  2  and  3.  

• AOempt  to  show  how  the  opposing  posi+on  will  be  improved  if  the   writer’s  own  posi+on  is  accepted.   •  However,  the  side  that  supports  legaliza+on  is  a  stronger  argument  because…  

Capstone  Prewri<ng  Tips 1.  Take  a  piece  of  paper,  and  at  the  very  top  of  the  page,  iden+fy  the  BIG  problem  

for  your  Rogerian  argument.   2.  Fold  your  paper  down  the  middle,  unfold  it  and  draw  a  line  down  the  middle  

fold.   3.  Write  SIDE  A  at  the  top  of  one  column.  Write  SIDE  B  at  the  top  of  the  other  

column   4.  Write  down  what  each  side  represents  in  the  correct  column  (i.e.  FOR  

legalizing  marijuana  and  AGAINST  legalizing  marijuana).   5.  Write  down  the  3  claims  that  support  SIDE  A  in  the  column  for  SIDE  A.   6.  Write  down  the  3  opposing  claims  that  support  SIDE  B  in  the  next  column.   7.  Write  down  what  makes  each  side  of  each  claim  valid.   8.  Circle  the  “winning”  side  (A  or  B)  for  each  claim.   9.  Make  notes  about  why  that  side  “wins”  that  claim.  

Rough  Outlines  for  Capstone  Essay

• Now  that  you’ve  completed  your  prewri+ng,  you  should  now  start  to   organize  your  work  into  a  rough—or  working—outline.   • Rough  outlines  allow  you  to  start  organizing  your  thoughts  before   you  place  them  into  a  FORMAL  outline  (more  on  these  later).   • Thrii’s  +ps  for  rough  outlines:  

1.  Look  at  your  assignment  carefully  and  write  down  the  major  requirements   of  that  assignment  on  a  sheet  of  paper.  Example  –  thesis,  topic  sentences,   ROGERIAN  elements,  short  quote,  long  quote,  paraphrase,  References,  etc.  

2.  Start  to  fill  in  details  as  they  come  to  you  and  as  you’ve  brainstormed  in   your  prewri+ng.  

Rough  Outline  Example •  Thesis:  iden+fy  which  side  of  the  argument  is  the  “winner”  and  why;  3  claims  are   op+onal  but  helpful  here  

•  TS  1:  iden+fy  claim  1   •  Present  SIDE  A  of  claim  1   •  Present  SIDE  B  of  claim  1   •  Explain  why  each  side  of  claim  1  is  valid   •  Pick  the  winner  for  claim  1  

•  TS  2:  iden+fy  claim  2   •  Present  SIDE  A  of  claim  2   •  Present  SIDE  B  of  claim  2   •  Explain  why  each  side  of  claim  2  is  valid   •  Pick  the  winner  for  claim  2  

•  TS  1:  iden+fy  claim  3   •  Present  SIDE  A  of  claim  3   •  Present  SIDE  B  of  claim  3   •  Explain  why  each  side  of  claim  3  is  valid   •  Pick  the  winner  for  claim  3  

Formal  Outlines

•  Each  paragraph  of  your  paper  should  be  numbered  with  Roman  numerals  (I,  II,  III,   etc.),  beginning  with  the  introduc+on.   •  Informa+on  that  will  be  used  to  support  or  develop  each  main  idea  should  be   indented  and  labeled  with  capital  leOers  (A,  B,  C,  etc.).   •  Addi+onal  informa+on  which  gives  more  detail  to  a  suppor+ng  idea  is  further   indented  and  labeled  with  Arabic  numbers  (1,  2,  3,  etc.).   •  Don’t  forget  to  add  your  conclusion  at  the  end!   •  Always  use  at  least  two  divisions  for  each  category.  Outlines  cannot  have  an  I   without  a  II  or  an  A  without  a  B,  etc.   •  With  the  excep+on  of  your  THESIS  and  TOPIC  SENTENCES,  most  informa+on   should  NOT  be  put  into  complete  sentences.  Keep  phrases  short  and  to  the  point.    

Formal  Outlines:  An  Incomplete  &  General  Sample I.  Introduc+on  

A.  Grab  reader’s  aOen+on   B.  Background    

1.  Summary   2.  Commentary  

C.  Thesis:  write  a  complete  sentence  here.   II.  Body  I  –  Claim  1  

A.  Topic  sentence:  write  a  complete  sentence  here.   1.  Side  A   2.  Side  B   3.  Grant  validity  to  both  sides  

B.  Commentary/support/details,  etc.   1.  Short  quote   2.  Reflec+on  on  quote  

C.  Mini  mic  drop   *Example  is  intended  only  to  demonstrate  what  a  formal  outline  might  look  like;  it   is  not  intended  for  replica+on  on  any  par+cular  assignment.  

Outlines:  Final  Words  of  Wisdom

• Outlines  in  any  form  are  an  important  part  of  the  wri+ng  process.   • While  it  may  seem  +me  consuming  to  create  outlines  for  every  major   wri+ng  assignment,  they  can  help  speed  up  the  process  of  crea+ng   drais.   • Thrii  uses  the  term  “placeholder”  to  indicate  holding  a  spot  for   something.   •  Example  –  it  is  acceptable  to  use  a  placeholder  for  SQs,  LQs  and  paraphrases   on  your  formal  outline.  This  means  that  you  do  not  need  to  include  the  actual   quotes/paraphrases…just  indicate  where  you  intend  to  use  them.