STEPS IN WRITING A 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 presentations Step 1: CHOOSING AN ISSUE FOR A TOPIC Is there a particular problem in your community that you feel strongly about? If for example, youve always felt great concern towards child beggars, this can be a possible issue for your position paper Are you a member of a cause-oriented group? Such groups can also lead you to a possible issue as usually they are oriented towards a significant concern in society. Exercise 1 Work in groups and identify some issues. State your position or claim on this issue, and state the reasons for you position as well. Use your bond papers and marker in doing this activity. STEP 2: COLLECT INFORMATION ON THE ISSUE
It is important that you get information on
both sides of the issue. Gather information that will give you a strong understanding of the issue, such as answers to basic reporter questions (who, what, when, where, why). STEP 2: COLLECT INFORMATION ON THE ISSUE
Your position (and of course that of the
opposing camp) may be supported through two major types of appeals: STEP 2: COLLECT INFORMATION ON THE ISSUE 1. Logical appeals the use of facts in order to support a position; it persuades the audience by targeting their thinking 2. Emotional appeals the use of the audiences 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 the bayanihan spirit Exercise 2
Analyze the statements used in each of the
following ads by classifying each as either logical or emotional appeal. LOGICAL APPEALS: THE USE OF EVIDENCE AND LOGICAL REASONING Arguments Explain why a claim is correct and believable Usually generalizations that are made on the basis of supporting evidence, such as facts, comparisons, examples, and the writers experiences Different Types of Arguments According to Reasoning Based on Evidence
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 8. Argument from sign GROUP ACTIVITY
Be able to present a group report regarding
your assigned topic(s), and provide at least 2 examples each. Use PowerPoint presentation as you present your report in the class. EMOTIONAL APPEALS: THE USE OF EMOTIONAL TRIGGERS TO MOVE PEOPLE McWhorter (2001) identifies the following types of emotional appeals: 1. Bandwagon or join-the-crowd appeal - The writer uses peoples tendency to conform with the majority, pointing out 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 Keep in mind that just because a lot of people do something doesnt mean that its the right thing to do 2. Appeal to common folk The persuasion is done by pointing out that a person is no different from ordinary people, or, that a product or idea is something that ordinary people would purchase or support We see this a lot in elections as when candidate states that like the masses, he came from a poor family and experienced struggles in life. 3. Name calling or ad hominem
It uses labels with negative
meanings to cast one opponent in a bad light, as when a politician calls her opponents idiots. 4. Association
This is done by creating a link
between one thing or idea and another one that people have a positive or negative feelings for For example, certain food products may be associated with Filipino values such as strong family ties NOTE: The right way to use emotional appeals is to use them only in addition to logical appeals as to ensure a balanced approach one that targets both mind and the heart of our readers. if we rely solely on emotional appeals, then our paper commits a very serious error in reasoning: argumentum ad misericordiam (argument to pity) Step 3: ORGAIZE THE CONTENT I. INTRODUCTION Introduce the issue being debated State your claim on the issue II. BODY Present the opposing viewpoint Present your arguments and make them convincing III. CONCLUSION Conclude by summarizing your arguments and reiterating your position Corporal punishment involves inflicting pain on a child by a parent or guardian in the home by spanking or slapping, or occasionally with an implement such as belt, slipper, cane or paddle. In our country, our culture still considers it as part of parental responsibility to discipline the child. According to a study conducted by Save the Children Philippines, a nongovernmental organization crusading against child abuse, Filipino children experience punishment at home 85 percent of the time and that 65 percent of them have received spanking as a form of punishment. (Reference: http://business.inquirer.net/13787/corporal-punishment-discipline-or- abuse#ixzz4tupNLNTD) Discipline for children involves training and helping them develop judgment, a sense of boundaries, self-control, self-sufficiency, and positive social conduct. Discipline, unlike punishment, teaches children to learn from their mistakes rather than making them suffer for those mistakes. In fact, imposing suffering actually shifts the focus from the lesson that needs to be learned to who is in control. As a result, with punishment, the focus is on the parent controlling a childs behavior, as opposed to discipline wherein the focus is on the child controlling his own behavior (Tulali, 2009). Proponents of corporal punishment primarily base their support for this disciplinary practice on their interpretation of biblical statements and other religious teachings, or on their firm conviction that physical punishment is a parental obligation or duty. Many also recount their personal experience of physical discipline within their childhood home or school and note that, because it never did them any harm, it is likely to work for the next generation as effectively. Advocates of corporal punishment, therefore, support existing legal provisions, which provide parents a defense against charges of assault, provided the force used was just and reasonable and for the purpose of correcting the childs behavior. (Tulali, 2009) Refer to the pdf copy of Anti-Corporal punishment by Tulali PROJECT Write your own position paper on The jeepney modernization in the Philippines. Conventions: Computerized on a short bond paper enclosed in a red folder with fastener Font style: Times New Roman Font size: 11 Spacing: 1.5 Margin: Normal Minimum of 3 pages