1 Lecture - Position Paper.ppt

8/14/2019 1 Lecture - Position Paper.ppt

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POSITION PAPER


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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of the lesson, the studentswill be able to:

Understand the nature, purpose andusage of a Position Paper; and

Prepare a Position Paper


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A position paper presents an arguable

opinion about an issue . The goal of a

position paper is to convince the audiencethat your opinion is valid and worthlistening to.

To influence the pendingimplementation of new policies, systemsand procedures

POSITION PAPER


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To take a side on a subject, you should firstestablish the arguability of a topic that interests you.

Ask yourself the following questions to ensure thatyou will be able to present a strong argument:

Is it a real issue, with genuine controversy anduncertainty?

Can you distinctly identify two positions? Are you personally interested in advocating one ofthese positions?Is the issue narrow enough to be manageable?

ISSUE CRITERIA


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Listing out the pro and con sides of the topic willhelp you examine your ability to support yourcounterclaims, along with a list of supporting evidencefor both sides. Supporting evidence includes thefollowing:

Factual Knowledge Statistical Inferences Informed Opinion Personal Testimony

Analyzing an Issue andDeveloping an Argument


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1. What do they believe?

2. Where do they stand on the issue?

3. How are their interests involved?

4. What evidence is likely to be effective withthem?

Who is your audience?


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1. Is your topic interesting?

2. Can you manage the material within thespecifications set by the instructor?

3. Does your topic assert something specific

and propose a plan of action?

4. Do you have enough material to supportyour opinion?

In determining your viewpoint,ask yourself the following:


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Your introduction should lead up to a thesis thatorganizes the rest of your paper. There are threeadvantages to leading with the thesis:

1. The audience knows where you stand.

2. The thesis is located in the two strongest places,first and last.

3. It is the most common form of academicargument used.

Organization


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1. COVER PA GE

2. TA B L E OF CONTENTS

3. INTRODUCTION (Par t I) Background The Issue/s

4. THE SPECIFIC PROB L EM (Part II)

State the problem associated with the issue at hand

5. THE POSITION (Part III)What is your stand

Parts of a Position Paper


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6. WHY THE NEED TO IMPL EMENT CHA NGES (PartIV)

Cite arguments / present facts to support your standCite consequences of not acting on the matterProvide Counter arguments for opposing views

7. STRATEGIES TO EFFECT CHA NGES (Part V)Cite key activities to implement changes with brief

discussion

8. A FTER EFFECT OF PROPOSA L (Part VI)Cite perceived impact of proposal on the currentsituation



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9. POSSIB LE CHANGES IF PROPOSAL WILL B EIMPL EMENTED (Part VII)

Cite additional changes ripple effect that will ariseout of the implementation of the proposal

10. EVA L UATION O F THE PROPOSA L (Part VIII)Compare the advantages and disadvantages of the

proposalHighlight its resulting improvement from the present

set-up

11. A NNEXES / REFS / A CK NOWL EDGEMENT (Part IX)



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END

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1 Lecture - Position Paper.ppt