Should juvenile courts be abolished? (P. 93)
InstructionsPosition Paper Format
A position paper presents an arguable opinion about an issue. The goal of a position paper is to convince the audience that your opinion is valid and worth listening to. Ideas that you are considering need to be carefully examined in choosing a topic, developing your argument, and organizing your paper. It is very important to ensure that you are addressing all sides of the issue and presenting it in a manner that is easy for your audience to understand.
Your job is to take one side of the argument and persuade your audience that you have well-founded knowledge of the topic being presented.
It is important to support your argument with evidence to ensure the validity of your claims, as well as
to address the counterclaims to show that you are well informed about both sides.Issue Criteria: To take a side on a subject, you should first establish the arguability of a topic that interests you. Ask yourself the following questions to ensure that you will be able to present a strong argument:
Is it a real issue, with genuine controversy and uncertainty?
Can you distinctly identify two positions?
Are you personally interested in advocating one of these positions?
Is the issue narrow enough to be manageable?
Analyzing an Issue and Developing an Argument
Once your topic is selected, you should do some research on the subject matter. While you may already have an opinion on your topic and an idea about which side of the argument you want to take, you need to ensure that your position is well supported. Listing out the pro and con sides of the topic will help you examine your ability to support your counterclaims, along with a list of supporting evidence for both sides. Supporting evidence includes the following:
Factual Knowledge Information that is verifiable and agreed upon by almost everyone.
Statistical Inferences Interpretation and examples of an accumulation of facts.
Informed Opinion Opinion developed through research and/or expertise of the claim.
Personal Testimony Personal experience related by a knowledgeable party.
Once you have made your pro and con lists, compare the information side by side. Considering your audience, as well as your own viewpoint, choose the position you will take. In considering the audience, ask yourself the following questions:
Who is your audience?
o What do they believe?
o Where do they stand on the issue?
o How are their interests involved?
o What evidence is likely to be effective with them?
In determining your viewpoint, ask yourself the following:
o Is your topic interesting?
o Can you manage the material within the specifications set by the instructor?
o Does your topic assert something specific and propose a plan of action?
o Do you have enough material to support your opinion?
Organization Your introduction should lead up to a thesis that organizes the rest of your paper. There are three advantages to leading with the thesis:
o 1. The audience knows where you stand.
o 2. The thesis is located in the two strongest places, first and last.
o 3. It is the most common form of academic argument used.
Below is a generic format for a position paper:
I. Introduction
___A. Introduce the topic
___B. Provide background on the topic
___C. Assert the thesis (your view of the issue)
II. Counter Argument
___A. Summarize the counterclaims
___B. Provide supporting information for counterclaims
___C. Refute the counterclaims
___D. Give evidence for argument
III. Your Argument
___A. Assert point #1 of your claims
_____1. Give your opinion
_____2. Provide support
___B. Assert point #2 of your claims
_____1. Give your opinion
_____2. Provide support
___C. Assert point #3 of your claims
_____1. Give your opinion
_____2. Provide support
IV. Conclusion
___A. Restate your argument
___B. Provide a plan of actionYou will need at least three sources for your argument but the more the better. We are looking for peer review articles, if available.Position papers are to be two pages, single-spaced following the format above. One separate page for references in APA format, single-spaced.Position Paper Grading Scheme1 point for your Introduction
1 point for Counter Argument
1 point for your Argument
1 point for your Conclusion
1 point for Overall Quality (to include APA citations)