Rogerian Argument raises many interesting issues. I think that its main value is the emphasis on attention to different points of view. Actually we mentioned it in class when discussing how to overcome one-sided argumentation. I liked the examples that demonstrate how most statements are only relatively true. I would use this kind of examples to teach students to look at things from different angles. My first assignment (and not only mine as far as I know) aims to puzzle them in this way.
I am interested in how we can teach this psychological method. "Rogerian argument has no conventional structure ... the structure is more directly the product of a particular writer, a particular topic, and a particular audience" (98). Informal writing is easier, because formal requirements may restrain us. Do we perceive formal writing as less emotional and more authoritative? Rogers emphasises oral communication that is less formal. It corresponds with sequensce in assignments that often go from less formal to more formal ones, e.g. discussion - first submission - final paper.
Carl Rogers schemes look like some general principles applied to theory of retoric. "Conveying to the Reader That He Is Understood" (98) sounds loke one of good famous principles in psychology of human communication that says "first praise, only then critisize". "Writer-based" and "reader-based" writing analysed in Bean's book links toRogerian approach as well. It seems like many people use Rogers's argumentation in practice without any knowledge of Rogers. As least, I have been using it before reading about it.
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I think we do tend to see formal writing as "less emotional and more authoritative," which, I think, makes it somewhat difficult to see how Rogerian argument can be used. In our English papers, we don't generally start out by trying to make those who disagree with us feel like they're understood. But we do sometimes begin by pointing out the (limited) usefulness of others' work. In that respect, I think that Rogerian argument is fairly widely used in academic discourse.
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