With the reading for today in mind, do the following.
- State your tentative thesis. Notice, from 364, “Come up with a tentative thesis that identifies the problem and proposes a solution. Use this statement to guide you as you write.”
- What else do you have to know to persuade your audience toward this solution? When will you do more research?
- What main points will your proposal have to make? List them. Leave a gap between the items on the list.
- Think about which of your current sources support which items on the list of main points you just made.
- How convincing are your sources for your audience? Why?
- Connect sources and main points on the list by writing the names of sources in the gap.
- Briefly explain the connection between the sources and the points.
- List other possible solutions you’ll need to acknowledge fairly.
- Which sources document them?
- How will you reply to these alternative solutions?
- Which sources can help you reply?
- Share with a peer.
- Which spots seem weak in terms of persuading the audience? Why?
- What are two strengths of the planning?
- Email 1 and 2 to me.
Here is an example of a successful proposal planning email. It follows the steps above:
1. If UVU allocates more funding toward mental health education and more resources toward those who suffer from mental health issues, we will retain more students with and without mental disorders.
A. I need to research more about universities that have implemented more resources, conversation, and attention to those students who suffer from mental illnesses. I will do more research all through November to really get all the information I can to create a very strong, persuasive paper.
i. My proposal will include the following points:
• Educating students who do or do not suffer from a mental illness will lower the stigma around it creating a more open conversation and comfortable environment.
– “Challenging the Stigma” article: Explicitly explains how universities’ stigma around mental illness prevents students from reaching out for help.
• Creating a focus on students with mental illnesses and ensuring they are succeeding through college will increase retention and growth in students entering the workforce benefiting the economy.
– (Need source)
• Professors need to take mental illness as seriously as a physical illness.
– “Invisible Disabilities” article: This resource discusses how “invisible disabilities” like mental illnesses are often overlooked in comparison to physical disabilities. While those are still important, creating an environment where students with mental disabilities feel like their problems are taken seriously will lead to a better campus life.
• Already implemented mental health resources need to be advertised during orientation for freshman and incoming students
– “Comparative Study” article: Talks about universities that thoroughly advertise mental health resources versus those that do not and how it impacts a campus.
ii. My sources are convincing because they are all peer reviewed research giving hard facts of the benefits of the points I have listed.
2. Others solutions/arguments I will need to address are: (I need resources to address them logically and with facts. Until then I will give my opinion.)
• Students can use the already available Accessibility Services.
-I have emailed the ASD to see what accommodations are exactly available for students with mental illnesses. That information understandably is not available on their site but it does make it a tad more difficult for students to access help. I also plan to research more how affected those accommodations are.
• There is no way to force a student with mental health needs to seek help.
-Even though we cannot force a student to seek help, it is better to have the resources openly available in the case they do reach out versus not advertising them because they might not be utilized.
Metaphor by Metaphor 