Have you been asked to write a Rogerian essay and you’re now wondering about where to start? Well, this essay shouldn’t be difficult to write. You just need a few tips to come up with a brilliant essay that will earn you the top grade in your class.
People spend a lot of time arguing about things they do not know much about. To avoid wasting time, it’s better to quit arguing and find a common ground. This would make the world a better place.
Rogerian Essay Defined
A Rogerian argument essay is simply a write-up that uses impartial language to present a debatable or contentious topic. This essay aims to use different perspectives when presenting a contentious issue.
Writing a Rogerian style essay enables a student to identify and recognize problems from different viewpoints. That way, they can come up with more valid solutions. This essay also has arguments that make understanding it easier for both the audience and the student. What’s more, this essay brings calm in a situation where opponents can’t agree on an issue or they have counterarguments.
So, What is a Rogerian Essay?
To understand this essay better, it’s important to know its origin. The humanistic psychology ideas of Car Rogers inspired rhetoricians to come up with a different approach to arguments. When writing this essay, the main idea is to understand the adversary’s viewpoint first and then present their ideas. Essentially, achieving mutual understanding as well as finding a decision that is sufficient for the opposing sides becomes easier when the opponents open the worlds of each other.
Good Rogerian essay topics aim to achieve the following:
- Determine mutual aspects of shared interest
- Win the trust of the adversary and the audience
- Pave way for a more open exchange of different ideas
- Find a possible starting ground for cooperative work and further discussion
Students should consider these objectives when choosing their topics for a Rogerian essay. That’s because not every topic can be used to accomplish these goals.
How to Write a Rogerian Essay
When asked to write about Rogerian essay topics for the first time, many students find this task challenging. That’s because this form of writing is not the same as what most learners are used to. However, you can follow these steps to write about most Rogerian argument essay topics.
- Choose a good topic
Students have many topics for Rogerian essay to choose from. However, learners should pick topics that they are knowledgeable about. That’s because writing about unspecified topics or things they don’t know much about will be a waste of time. Therefore, choose a good topic that you’re interested in. Make sure that your topic is narrow, interesting, and acute even for the readers.
- Research your topic
Before you start writing, collect as much information as you can about the topic. Although your topic might seem easier, read specialized literature about it. That way, you will find information to support both sides of the argument.
- Draft a Rogerian essay outline
This is a standard step when it comes to writing academic essays. You need to come up with an outline that shows how you will present the information that you gathered from your research. Creating a Rogerian argument essay outline makes writing it easier. That’s because it enables you to easily structure your ideas.
- Write a shared belief
Starting with a shared belief convinces the audience that your goal is not to draw them to your side. Instead, you make them see that you want to find a common ground despite having opposing thoughts.
- State your position briefly
Mention your position before you start to examine the beliefs of your opponent. Just express your opinion accurately and briefly without providing arguments. You can read a good Rogerian argument essay example to find out more about this.
- Analyze the strong arguments of your opponent
You should be very keen when analyzing the arguments of your opponent. Essentially, make sure that you don’t miss anything. If you do that, you can be accused of hiding important facts. What’s more, ignoring the considerable ideas of your opponents will hinder your essay from achieving its purpose.
- Highlight conflicting arguments
Highlight the major points that you and your opponent don’t agree about. This will enable you to recognize the contentious issues.
- Classify your differences and their reasons
Why don’t you agree with your opponent? Reading a sample Rogerian argument essay might help you when it comes to classifying your differences. Ideally, you should explain the causes of your conflicting points. Some can be due to character differences, social aspects, or moral code. But, dividing your differences into various categories doesn’t mark the end. You need to investigate the origin of those differences.
- Identify your meeting points
Once you’ve identified your differences, highlight things that you have in common. Based on the Rogerian essay format, this part is very important. That’s because it marks the point where collaboration starts.
- Integrate the opposing ideas gradually
As you will note when reading a good Rogerian essay example, this write-up lacks a demanding and aggressive character. Therefore, be moderate in your writing. Although your ideas should be presented properly, you should employ a neutral tone.
- Conclude with a common agreement
In this step, come up with a common agreement. Make sure that your conclusion is composed in a sufficient way for both sides. Some Rogerian argument essay examples call for further collaboration in their conclusion. You can also consider doing the same in your essay.
Useful Tips on How to Write a Rogerian Argument Essay
Now that you know the steps to follow when writing this essay, you most likely need tips to make the process easier. Here are useful tips to guide you through the writing process.
- Read Rogerian essay examples first: If you’re writing this essay for the first time, consider reading at least one good Rogerian essay sample. This is very important because it will enable you to understand how to present opposing viewpoints without sounding demanding or aggressive. Therefore, find a well-written Rogerian argument essay sample and read it carefully before you start writing yours.
- Identify a common ground: Find out what you can discuss with the opposing side. This is very important because if you don’t have something common to discuss, your efforts won’t bear fruits.
- Avoid logical mistakes: Logical fallacies will make your argument seem to have been poorly considered. Therefore, study logical fallacies carefully and ensure that they are not present in your essay.
- Be balanced: Present almost the same number of viewpoints for the opposing side. What’s more, employ a neutral tone to ensure that your objectivity is not doubted by your readers. Reading a sample Rogerian essay can help you learn to strike a balance when presenting opposing viewpoints.
- End positively: Your essay should have a positive ending. Show optimism about further collaboration. The conclusion should sound inspired and hopeful to comfort the opponents. That way, you will prove that your viewpoints are also worth considering.
This guide should make writing this essay easier. If you still encounter some difficulties, request more a Rogerian argument essay guide or custom essay help from experts to make the task easier.
