Week 4 Position Paper

Date September 10, 2007

Good morning Class,
I will not be in class today, as I am home recovering from a nasty cold I’ve had all weekend. Too much excitement these first three weeks I guess. I am slowly finishing up your first two assignments, and if you haven’t gotten yours back yet, you should see it by the end of today. Our next step is to write the first half of our position paper. Be sure to read the handout for position papers in the Week 4 folder. Here’s a list of what we will do this week:

  • Chapter 8: Beginning a Research Project, pp. 296-303
  • Chapter 14: Argument, pp. 490-509
  • Handouts: Analyzing Context, Position Papers
  • Paper 1: Defining the Issue (Context Analysis) (1-2 pages)- 75 pts
  • Module I Quiz will be posted on Wednesday, and you will have until midnight Saturday to complete the quiz. There are no makeups for quizzes, so be sure that you take the quiz during the time it is available. Any missed quizzes will result in you having to come to school to take a final exam at the end of the summer session. The quiz password will be posted on Wednesday.

We write a position paper to:

  • Organize and outline your viewpoint on an issue
  • Formally inform others of your position as a foundation to build resolution to difficult problems
  • Present a unique, though biased, position on a controversial issue
  • Frame the discussion in order to define the “playing field.” This can put you in an advantageous position with those who may not be so well prepared as regards the issues behind their positions
  • Establish your credibility. Here you are demonstrating that you have a command of the issues and the research behind them, and can present them clearlyLet your passion be demonstrated in the force of your argument rather than in the use of emotional terms
  • Guide you in being consistent in maintaining your position in negotiation

Your first step is to do a context analysis of your issue. Write your answers down so that you can refer to them as you begin your essay. This however is not your essay. Use the provide outline to help you organize your paper. You will only do the first section of the outline: Define the Issue.

Position papers concern controversial issues, matters on which people disagree. The issue may arise from a particular occasion or be part of an ongoing debate. In either case, the writer must clearly explain the issue. In addition to establishing that the issue exists, a writer needs to define it for the writing purpose. Defining an issue means saying what kind of issue it is. For instance, Amitai Etzioni defines the issue of hate speech in terms of what is “civil,” rather than in terms of the right to free expression as many of his readers will. Sometimes, defining the issue also involves marking its boundaries. Jessica Statsky, for example, limits the organized team sports she is talking about to those sponsored by parents outside schools for children of certain ages.

Associate Professor Sam explains the paper in the following podcast:


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