For this project, you will need to choose a current White House Cabinet member representing a government
agency or council or a member of Congress who advocates a position on a public policy issue with which you
disagree. (USE KAMALA HARRIS, CLICK LINK BELOW TO SEE HER VIEW ON GUN
CONTROL). Next, you will research this person’s position and compose a Rogerian argument in the form of an
Open Letter. (YOU ARE ARGUING FOR HAVING A STRICTER LAW ON GUNS, WHICH MEANS YOU ARE ARGUING AGAINST NOT HAVING A STRICTER LAW).
An Open Letter is intended to be read by a wide audience, so it has two levels of audience: explicit (the person to whom the letter is addressed) and implicit (a wider public audience).
Project Deliverable:
Open Letter Rogerian Argument, about 800 words using MLA or APA documentation style to format the paper
and cite sources.
Audience: Letter recipient (explicit) and supporters (implicit).
Purpose: To build a bridge between opposing viewpoints
Decide the Explicit Audience. Use the links posted to the project page to help you choose a current White House Cabinet member representing a government agency or council or a member of Congress who advocates a position on a public policy issue with which you disagree. This person will be the recipient of your Open Letter. You may use the same policy issue you chose for project 2 or use another.
2. Find a Primary Text by the Explicit Audience. A primary text is one that has not been analyzed by
others. All of these officials have written articles, delivered speeches, or testified publicly, so you will first need to
fully orient yourself to your letter recipient’s policy position by finding a primary text the recipient has generated
that is part of the public record. Although you may use more than one primary text, it will likely be easier if you use just one, so that you are directly responding to it in how you construct the Rogerian Argument.
3. Identify the Implicit Audience. Remember, the explicit audience is the letter recipient, but the implicit
audience would be those who support this person’s position. Use the Implicit Audience Analysis worksheet to help you.
Formatting. You may format your letter using standard business letter conventions or the less formal Open
Letter format. See examples of Open Letter format posted to the project page.
4.2. Citing Sources. In an open letter, writers do not cite sources using an academic documentation style such as MLA or APA. Instead, they use attributive tags and conversational, in-text references to sources, so use that
same approach. You can also forgo a list of “Works Cited” or “Bibliography” page.
4.3. Content. Apply the following principles of Rogerian argument to arrange and develop the content of your
Open Letter. Refer to the slidedoc on Rogerian argument for examples of each principle.
• Principle 1. Introduction Emphasizes Unity by pointing out how both the author and the audience are similarly
affected or share the same concerns.
• Principle 2. Acknowledges and Presents Opposing Viewpoint Fairly by using neutral language to accurately
describe the letter recipient’s (and supporter’s) position and the circumstances and contexts in which the position
is valid. The writer supports claims by citing from a primary text the recipient has produced that are in the public
record. The writer builds good will and credibility by establishing an Ethos that is heartfelt and sincere.
• Principle 3. Writer States His or Her Own Position Fairly by using neutral language to accurately describe the
circumstances and contexts in which the writer’s perspective or position is valid and presents evidence that
supports claims
• Principle 4. Closing Seeks Compromise by not asking the letter recipient to give up his/her position but ends by
laying out the ways a compromise or alternative solution benefits both the letter recipient and the writer under a
wider variety of circumstances than either can account for alone.
• Principle 5: Argument is Balanced. The writer makes the case for his or her position in a balanced way by giving more than superficial consideration to the opposing positionFormatting. You may format your letter using standard
business letter conventions or the less formal Open Letter format. See examples of Open Letter format posted to
the project page.
https://www.ontheissues.org/Kamala_Harris.htmhttps://www.ontheissues.org/Kamala_Harris.htmhttps://www.ontheissues.org/Kamala_Harris.htmhttps://www.ontheissues.org/Kamala_Harris.htmhttps://www.ontheissues.org/Kamala_Harris.htmhttps://www.ontheissues.org/Kamala_Harris.htmhttps://www.ontheissues.org/Kamala_Harris.htm
ABOVE IS THE LINK TO USE FOR KAMALA HARRIS VIEW ON GUN CONTROL, SHE IS ON OUR SIDE FOR HAVING A STRICT LAW!
