Rogerian Argument 1 Oklahoma City Community College Summer Session 2015 English 1213: English Composition 2 Essay #4: Rogerian Argument Quotes: When will mankind be convinced and agree to settle their difficulties by arbitration? -- Benjamin Franklin. Compromise, n. Such an adjustment of conflicting interests as gives each adversary the satisfaction of thinking he has got what he ought not to have, and is deprived of nothing except what was justly his due. -- Ambrose Bierce An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it. -- Mahatma Ghandhi. A good compromise, a good piece of legislation, is like a good sentence; or a good piece of music. Everybody can recognize it. They say, Huh. It works. It makes sense -- Barack Obama. A compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes he has the biggest piece Ludwig Erhard. Welcome to your last essay assignment! Welcome to your last essay assignment in English Composition 2! Assignment Scenario For this assignment, the scenario that will be used is the following: Two groups who are at odds with one another over a particular issue. Each group having their own perspective on the issue. They realize that they need some type of help with conflict resolution; therefore, they have hired you to arbitrate the conflict between these two parties. Often arguments between two opposing parties, which center on refuting an opponent s perspective, are often antagonistic and can cause people to lose their morale and identity, their desire to work together, and drive to succeed. But this is not what the two groups want. Instead, they want to try to resolve the issue. Consequently, the best approach to use in this situation is to use Arbitration and the Rogerian Argument. What is Arbitration? Arbitration is one of the methods of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) available to parties. In arbitration, it is essentially a negotiation facilitated by a neutral third party, which involves the final decision being made that will resolve the conflict by a neutral third party. ADR procedures can be initiated by the parties or may be compelled by legislation, the courts, or contractual terms. (see more at: adr.findlaw.com/mediation/what-is-mediation-.html).
Rogerian Argument 2 What is a Rogerian Argument? A Rogerian Argument (also known as a Common Ground Argument ) is built upon the work of Humanistic psychologist Carl R. Rogers, who advocated a type of communication called empathetic listening, and to come to conclusions or decisions that benefit both parties (or what is known as a win-win ). He felt that a person should listen to the point of view of his or her adversary and to come to a conclusion that takes into account this other perspective. A Rogerian argument takes this idea and applies it to the essay format. A Rogerian structure acknowledges that a subject can be looked at from different standpoints. Also, this approach can strengthen any argument since it demonstrates that one has considered other possibilities before arriving at a belief. In closing you will summarize what you have learned through careful analysis and compromise. For example, if you took the topic Carpe Diem ( Seize the Day ), you might find a middle ground between living and loving for the moment and denying sensual gratification for pragmatic and moral reasons. The end result of a Rogerian argument is a solution that is more likely to satisfy all parties. When Should I Used a Rogerian Argument? A Rogerian argument works best when the essay subject is one where people have strong, opposing positions, or one where the opposing positions are strongly emotionally charged. Because Rogerian arguments are based on listening to the opposition and giving consideration to those concerns, this structure works to calm an audience who may be opposed to your position. Assignment. For your last essay assignment, choose an issue discussed and/or illustrated in one of the following readings. To do your task as the arbitrator, you will need to research and analyze the various positions involved in this issue. After researching the various positions, narrow it down to the two prominent positions on the issue. Then answer the following questions: 1. What are the two prominent positions are involved in this issue? 2. What are the arguments that are being presented? What are the reasons of both sides? What evidence does both sides present to support their positions? 3. In analyzing the arguments of both sides, what are the strengths of each argument? What are the weaknesses? 4. What logical inferences, implications, underlying motivations, contexts, or possible consequences do you see in their arguments that one or both sides are not discussing? 5. As the arbitrator of these two positions, what possible win-win solutions do you see possible for this conflict? In addition to the compromised position, are there any further considerations you would like to make concerning this issue? Using your research, analysis and the answers to these questions, write a 4 6 page (or 1,000 1,500 word) Rogerian argument in which you will try to bring all parties involved to a middleground (or win-win ) position. Purpose: To persuade the two prominent positions to adopt a compromised position that would be a win-win solution for both sides. You will engage the two parties in a fair and convincing analysis of the issue s multiple perspectives and persuade the two parties of the validity of the compromised position you are advocating. Audience: Imagine you are writing to two groups of educated people who have a stake in maintaining their own views.
Rogerian Argument 3 Suggested Readings. 01. Anna Quindlen s Sex Ed (198 199) 02. Andrew Sulliven s Why Gay Marriage is Good for Straight America (252 256) 03. Jamaica Kincaid s The Estrangement (263 265) 04. David Gates Finding Neverland (511 515) 05. Susan Sontag s Regarding the Torture of Others (524 533) 06. Alice Walker s Saving the Life that is Your Own: The Importance of Models in the Artist s Life (535 541) 07. Langston Hughes Salvation (548 550) 08. Mariane Satrapi s The Veil (551 558) 09. Robert Coles I listen to My Parents and I Wonder What They Believe (560 564) 10. Karen Armstrong s What s God Got to Do with It? (565 568) 11. Lisa Miller s Our Mutual Joy: The Religious Case for Gay Marriage (569 575) 12. Salman Rushdie s Not About Islam? (587 589) 13. Martha Mendoza s Between a Woman and Her Doctor (624 628) 14. Atul Gawande s Naked (629 634) 15. Stephen Jay Gould s The Terrifying Normalcy of Aids (635 638) 16. Charles Darwin s Natural Selection (648 651) 17. Verlyn Klinkenborg s Darwin at 200: The Ongoing Force of His Unconventional Idea (653 655) 18. Diane Ackerman s Planets in the Sky with Diamonds (656 657) 19. David Sedaris s Nutcracker.com (658 662) 20. Carl Sagan s Can We Know the Universe? Reflections on a Grain of Salt (669 673) 21. Dinesh D Souza s Staying Human (675 682) 22. Oliver Sacks Anybody Out There? (684 688) 23. Martin Luther King s Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence (716 728) 24. Margaret Werheim s Cyber Soul Space (Course Site, Additional Readings ) 25. Barbara Dafoe Whitehead s The Girls of Gen X (Course Site, Additional Readings ) 26. Warren Farrell s Man Bashing: Trivial Pursuit or a Truth with Consequences (Course Site, Additional Readings ) Assignment Requirements: Your essay should adhere to the following requirements: 1. It should include at least 4-6 sources. These should include the following At least one of the readings from the list above. At least 2-3 credible sources should be used to support each position. NOTE: Do not use materials from Wikipedia, any personal web pages or porn cites, or any source who has no credibility or where the credibility is questionable (e.g., National Enquirer). 2. Its overall presentation should demonstrate your ability to engage in analytical thinking and to present the information in a fresh, insightful, and creative manner. It should be clear that the paper s intent is to move beyond the surface level issues or ideas about
Rogerian Argument 4 the issue to in order to bring all parties involved to a new middle-ground position. 3. It should include summaries, at least 1 paraphrase, and at least 1-2 direct quotes. 4. All sources used, both parenthetical (in-text) and on the Works Cited, should adhere to MLA guidelines in their set up and presentation. Objectives: To effectively use ethos to build trust in the audience. To effectively use logos to reason with your audience. To think outside of binary oppositions, which often doom a debate to failure. To learn how to use the rhetorical triangle effectively and see how ethos, logos, and pathos interact. To integrate or synthesize the ideas from selected sources. To learn the value and necessity of compromise when approaching complex issues. To write an essay that is thoroughly developed and logically organized. To incorporate parenthetical (in-text) citations and develop a Works Cited page. To achieve a tone that is reliable and academic. How Should I Structure This Essay? As mentioned earlier, the structure of the essay is different than the ones we have done earlier because in this essay, you will be presenting the two sides of the issue in the essay and given due consideration. Your thesis, which will be the compromised position that you will be advocating, will appear later the paper after you have demonstrated that you understand the arguments of those who hold to the different positions. INTRODUCTION Introduce the issue with a lead-in sentence that will hook the interest of your readers. Provide a brief synopsis of the discussion surrounding the issue/rhetorical context. State the issue as a question to set the tone of inquiry and investigation. View A Begin the first section of the body by laying out Group A s argument in 2-3 paragraphs as accurately, objectively, and unbiasly as possible. The goal here is to convince this group that you have a thorough understanding of their perspective by stating their position in a way they will consider to be fair and accurate. What reasons and evidence do the people in this group provide for this position? Find sources that exemplify this attitude and offer appropriate, documented quotations. Remember to use MLA guidelines for material documented in-text and for the Works Cited. Show an understanding and appreciation for this argument. Do not attack or demean this position in any way. Analysis of View A As the Arbitrator, discuss your analysis of this position: the strengths of the position, and the weaknesses or problem areas of this position. Again, do not attack or demean
the position, but discuss your analysis in neutral, unbiased language. View B. Rogerian Argument 5 Now explain the other position in 2-3 paragraphs as accurately, objectively, and unbiasly as possible. Again the goal here is to convince this group that you have a thorough understanding of their perspective by stating their position in a way they will consider to be fair and accurate. What reasons and evidence do the people in this group provide for this position? Find sources that exemplify this attitude and offer appropriate, documented quotations. Remember to use MLA guidelines for material documented in-text and for the Works Cited. Show an understanding and appreciation for this argument. Do not attack or demean this position in any way. Analysis of View B As the Arbitrator, discuss your analysis of this position: the strengths of the position, and the weaknesses or problem areas of this position. Again, do not attack or demean the position, but discuss your analysis in neutral, unbiased language. CONCLUSION. The concluding paragraphs will be broken up into two parts: In the first part of the conclusion, present a balanced and concise summation of the most compelling points representing the different sides of the argument. Then in the second part of the conclusion, present and advocate a middleground position between your own view and the audience s view, drawing on elements from the diverse positions examined earlier. In this part, be sure to discuss how both sides would benefit from this position. By doing this, you will be appealing to your readers self-interest, at least in the broader, long-term sense. Also, you are concluding your essay on a hopeful, positive note. Essay Packet: When you turn in the packet, it should include the following: In the left pocket, you should have the final draft. In the right pocket, you should have the following: a. Peer Review packet b. At least Drafts #2, #3 (plus any other drafts you ve done) c. Draft #1 d. A copy of the printed and web sources used in the construction of the paper. Please highlight on the copies what portions you used within the paper. Due Date: See the course calendar for the due date.