Position Paper PDF

0 1 Position Paper 02 01 Nature of Position Paper 02 Uses of Position Paper CONTENTS 03 Parts of a Position Paper 04 Writing a Position Paper 03 The Nature of a Position Paper 04 Position Paper...

0 1 Position Paper 02 01 Nature of Position Paper 02 Uses of Position Paper CONTENTS 03 Parts of a Position Paper 04 Writing a Position Paper 03 The Nature of a Position Paper 04 Position Paper A position paper, also called an argumentative paper or manifesto, is an essay that presents a person’s or group’s position or stand on a particular issue. Its goal is to convince the reader of the acceptability of the writer’s position and it goes by: Rational support – evidence Counter-evidence or flaws in the arguments of the opposing position Using emotional appeals  USES OF A POSITION PAPER It can be in many different contexts: as a requirement in schools, in internal relations, and in politics. For example, cause-oriented groups, governments, and internet research. A position paper does more than expressing a group’s or a person’s sentiments on an issue; it also helps others to become more aware of certain problems in society and possible become more involved in finding solution on it. 06 Parts of a Position Paper 07 Parts of a Position Paper According to McWhorter (2001) a position paper contains the following elements: an issue, a claim on this issue, reasons to explain this claim, support for the reasons, and opposing viewpoints. 08 Parts of Position Paper 1. Issue - an issue is an idea or question over which people are divided; it is also called a controversy. That means people have different points of view on the matter. Some ideas are not debatable-people have the same views about it. 2. Thesis – your thesis, also called the claim, is a statement that expresses your stand or position on an issue. 3. Reasons – a position paper seeks to persuade readers to have the same position on an issue as the writer does. Thus, it’s important for the writer to state the reasons in order to explain to the reader why his or her position is logical, acceptable, and believable. Another term for reasons is arguments.  4. Support – evidence or ideas to substantiate the reasons. 09 Support may be classified into the following types: a.Facts – writer’s own observation or reports from the scholarly studies b.Comparisons – similarities and differentiation between two ideas c.Examples – real-life demonstrations of an idea d.Opinions – the author’s feelings or generalizations 5. Opposing viewpoints or counterarguments – give the arguments opposing your stand. Your goal in presenting these is to refute or discredit them, so that any opposition in the reader’s mind is dealt with. 1 0 Writing a Position Paper Steps in Writing Position Paper 1. Choose an issue for a topic. 2. Collect information on the issue: identify the different positions on the issue, as well as the supports by the different sides. 3. Organize your presentation Step 1: CHOOSING AN ISSUE FOR A TOPIC Is there a particular problem in your community that you feel strongly about? Are you a member of a cause-oriented group? Aside from using observations and personal experiences, we can also get issues by paying attention to the news and other media sources and school events.  Step 2: Collect Information on the Issue This step can help you strengthen your position or claim. Get information on both sides of the issue. Gather information that will give you a strong understanding of the issue, such as answer to basic reporter questions (who, what, when, where, why). Your position may be supported through two major types of appeals: 1.Logical Appeals – use of facts in order to support a position; it persuades the audience by targeting their thinking. 2. Emotional Appeals – use of the audience’s feelings for the subject of the paper such as anger, pity, and aversion-in order to persuade. It may also refer to values that the reader may identify with, such as the importance of family ties, hospitality, and bayanihan spirit. 16 Logical Appeals: The Use of Evidence and Logical Reasoning Different types of Arguments 1. Argument from Transitivity 2. Argument from Incompatibility 3. Argument from Reciprocity 4. Argument from Comparison 5. Argument from Generalization 6. Argument from Examples 7. Argument from Cause 1 7 1. Argument from transitivity This involves three terms associated through the process of classification. In this type of argument, two classification statements serve as premises which then serve as the basis for the argument, presented in the form of conclusion. A is B. Conclusion: B is C. A is C In order to check the soundness of our argument, consider the following: Are there only three terms? Is the middle term consistently used? Are all premises correct? 1 7 2. Argument from incompatibility This argument presents two contradictory choices, such that the choice of one means the exclusion of the other. Consider whether the two choice or ideas are really incompatible. 1 7 3. Argument from reciprocity This argument says that individuals and situations that can be put together under the same category should be treated in the same way. We have to consider whether the individuals or situations under consideration can be truly and fully classified under the same category and that there is nothing to hinder them from being so. 1 7 4. Argument from comparison This argues that two situations will have the same outcome because of the similarities between these situations. AB AB CD C? ENTITY X ENTITY Y Therefore, entity Y will have D as well. How do we check the soundness of our argument? Do the two entities belong to the same category? Are the two entities sufficiently similar to justify the conclusion? Is there any significant dissimilarity to undermine the conclusion? 1 7 5. Argument from generalization We use one member of a population to make conclusions about the entire population. We encounter this argument all the time. For example, you might have said that “All people of [a place] are [good, bad, honest, dishonest, etc.]” because of an experience that you had with a person from the place. To check the validity, we have to consider the following: Is the member representative of the entire population? Does he or she embody all the qualities of the entire population? Does he or she embody all the qualities of the entire population? Is he or she a typical member of the population? 1 7 6. Argument from examples Argument from examples is similar to argument from generalization in that conclusion are made about an entire population. The difference is that, instead of using only one member as basis, in argument from examples you use group of examples-a sample from that population to serve as your basis. We see this type of argument whenever we encounter survey results. To test arguments from examples, we must ask the following questions: Is there a sufficient number of examples to justify the conclusion? Are there any counter-examples? 1 7 7. Argument from cause This posits that A is caused by B, which means that the presence of A (cause) will mean the presence of B (effect). Two types of causes Strong cause or sufficient cause - the occurrence of the cause guarantees the existence of the effect. Weak cause or necessary cause – the occurrence of the cause is necessary for the effect to occur. We check the soundness by considering the following: Is the relationship between A and B really causal? Is the cause a sufficient or necessary cause? 1 7 8. Argument from sign This argument uses sign or indicator to argue for the existence of condition. We may say that we have fever because our body temperature reads 40C. In testing this argument, we consider the following: Is the relationship between the sign and the condition consistent? Are there other indicators that show the opposite of what is concluded? Emotional Appeal: The Use of Emotional Triggers to Move People Emotional appeals come in different forms. McWhorter (2001) identifies the following common types: Bandwagon or “join the crowd” appeal Appeal to common folk False authority Name calling or “ad hominem” Association 20 Bandwagon or “join-the-crowd” appeal – the writer uses people’s tendency to conform with the majority, pointing put that his or her position enjoys support from many people. The idea here is to convince people to go with the flow – everybody else is doing it so you should follow too. 20 Appeal to common folk – in appeal to common folk, the persuasion is done by pointing out that a person is no different from ordinary people would purchase or support. 20 False authority – a type of false reasoning in which a person speaks as expert on something on which he/she has no expertise. 20 Name calling or “ad hominem” – uses labels with negative meanings to cast one’s opponent in a bad light, as when a politician calls her opponent idiots. 20 Association – this is done by creating a link between one thing or idea or another one that people have a positive or negative feelings for. 20 The right way to use emotional appeals is to use them only in addition to logical appeals so as to ensure the balanced approach. If we rely solely on emotional appeals, then our paper commits a very serious error in reasoning: argumentum ad misericordiam (argument to pity). In addition, one should also have proper ethical boundaries in using emotional appeals.  Step 3: Organize the content INTRODUCTION Introduce the issue being debated (who, what, when, where, and why) – background of the issue. - An excellent introduction is one that is thorough, clear, and accurate.  Step 3: Organize the content INTRODUCTION State your claim on the issue. A good statement of claim or thesis should clearly indicate the writer’s stand and it should do so right at the onset. A good thesis clearly shows your position; it should not appear to be neutral or undecided. Which of them would you consider to have clear position on the issue?  Step 3: Organize the content Thesis 1: Corporal punishment has some immediate positive effects but has negative long-term effects on children, as well. Thesis 2: While corporal punishment may be immediately effective, it has negative impact on children’s self-esteem and social skills in the long term.  Step 3: Organize the content BODY Present the opposing viewpoint. You need to accurately represent what the opposing side is saying about the issue. In the interest of fairness, it is only right for you to allow the other side to “speak.” You can do this by doing the following: - Showing errors in the opposing side’s opposing side’s reasoning, - Pointing out negative consequences of the opposing position, - Showing inadequacies of its evidence, and - Arguing that the values espoused by the opposing side do not agree with the values upheld by the readers.  Thus, an excellent presentation of the opposing viewpoint should be able to do the following: - Thoroughly cover all the arguments raised by the other side. - Adequately explain the support for those arguments, and - Convincingly show that the opposing sides should not be believed.  Present your arguments and make them convincing by providing adequate support. To come up with an excellent presentation of your viewpoint, do the following: - Clearly state the reasons for your claim. - Adequately support your reasons. Use both logical and emotional appeals. Employ a variety of supports to make your case both convincing and interesting. - Do not forget to cite sources and properly document them, as this adds to the credibility of your paper.  Alternatively, you may also present the body arguments in the order below: - Present your position - Summarize the opposing viewpoint. - Point out the weaknesses of the opposing viewpoint. - Conclude by summarizing your arguments and reiterating your position. 2 1 Thanks!