Navigating Suffering in the Digital Age: Cultivating Equanimity Amidst the Mental Health Crisis

I.  How to Structure the Final Paper

Following these guidelines for the final paper will help you write a strong and well-organized argument. See Little Seagull, W-8 for additional guidance on writing arguments.

As you work on your Course Forums and Final Paper, remember that writing is an iterative, multi-step, cognitive process. We often don’t know what we think or exactly what point we want to make until we have written at least one draft. Be patient with your ideas and let them unfold as you write. Also see Little Seagull, W-3.

Audience: Write as a scholar-in-training to an audience of intelligent, well-informed people who do not necessarily know this material and who may have a different perspective on it than you do, or at least might not have thought of your thesis before reading your paper. Engage your readers in the issue and convince them of your thesis, the significance (value) of the issue, and your argument. Assume that they are expecting you to follow the norms of academic citation and to make the context of your paper clear.

Resources: Little Seagull, W-1 and W-2.

Title: Provide a title that focuses on the main point you are making about your topic and stimulates interest in it. If you want to be more creative with your title, add a subtitle to give your reader direction and clarity. Here are examples based on the thesis examples provided below:

• Using Confucianism and Islam to Interpret the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• Combining Modern Technologies and Pre-Modern Practices to Combat California’s Wildfires
• Nature Therapy: An Alternative to Treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Introduction: The introduction is your opportunity to frame the paper in an interesting way that shows its significance. To do so, you’ll need to:

• Introduce the course theme, course sources, and contemporary problem, and the relationship between them
• Clearly pose an open-ended, debatable question that is answerable with scholarly research and analysis of texts. For this project, you might find the following question a helpful way to start thinking about how you will write your own question → How does the contemporary problem relate to the course theme(s)? Which theme might be the most relevant for addressing and/or reflecting on the contemporary problem?
• Answer your question with a thesis (your argument); for MMW, we encourage you to use the thesis formula (found below) when crafting your thesis

Thesis: The thesis answers the question you’ve posed and lays out the structure of your argument, creating the reader’s expectations for what is to come in the essay. It can be stated in one or more sentences and should:

• Acknowledge an alternative view of the subject—the opposition (an “although” point)
• Refer to the subject of the question, what your paper is about
• Make an assertion about the subject that answers the question (your position on the issue)
• Provide 3 reasons (sometimes fewer, sometimes more) why you take this position and to support the assertion, listed in the most logical and persuasive order for your argument. Reasons are based on the evidence you find and the particular problem you explore.

Example thesis statements*:

• Although some argue that the concept of human rights contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is based in “Western” thinking and therefore inapplicable to non-Western states, a close reading of Confucian and Islamic texts shows that the ideals contained in the UDHR are in fact universal. This can be seen in the principles of community, responsibility, and state-society relationships found in Confucian and Islamic texts.
• While some advocate for preventative efforts as a way to spare environments, recent California wildfires show that emphasizing restoration efforts inspired by a combination of pre-modern and modern practices will preserve existing habitats, create a balanced ecosystem, and remove or reduce the frequency of wildfires.
• Despite the VA’s success, the idea of therapy can be daunting or even met with derision for some. However, our understanding of Confucianism and its focus on social proclivity in relation to well-being, as well as early traditions’ emphasis on the connection between Earth and humans, can open the door to a new form of treatment: nature therapy. Nature therapy can offer an alternative option to overcoming PTSD as it allows the individual to begin rebuilding meaningful relationships, provides opportunities to connect with nature, and offers a sense of accomplishment upon completion.

*These examples each have their strengths and weaknesses. Consider what kind of feedback you might provide to the authors, why you’d provide that feedback, and how you can use your own advice to strengthen the feedback of your own paper. 

Significance: This is the “so what” argument of your paper: How does your essay, and your thesis/assertion in particular, contribute to a better understanding of the problem you address? Why does it matter that the problem be addressed and resolved as well as possible? Your answer to these questions is your paper’s significance. It’s your reason for writing the entire paper. If you can’t determine significance, then you most likely do not have an argument yet.

Context: Accurately establish the historical and cultural contexts of relevant events and texts for 1) the topic you are exploring and 2) any sources you use.

Provide enough context for a reader outside of the course to follow your reasoning. For instance, the first time you refer to an author, even if the author is in your Works Cited and even if the people in your course know who you are talking about, write the full name and give enough background information to make it clear why you are referencing this author. The context can be woven into any part of the paper where it is appropriate and needed for the reader to understand and be persuaded by your argument.

Opposition (Counterargument) and Rebuttal: Consider at least one alternative view to your assertion. This is your opposition, also known as your counterargument. Discuss its merits and flaws fairly, presenting evidence for it. Then show why your argument is stronger, rebutting the counterargument with evidence in support of your argument. You don’t have to claim that your interpretation is “right” or “true;” you just have to persuade your readers that it is the strongest among competing views.  

The counterargument and rebuttal are built into the thesis as the “opposition” and “assertion” (the O and A parts of the thesis formula). Develop them in one or more paragraphs in the body of the paper, and place them wherever they flow best with the rest of the paper and are most persuasive for your argument.

Resources: Counterarguments handouts found on the course Canvas site in the Course Project module.

Organization: Organize the body of the paper with several paragraphs, at least one for each reason provided in the thesis, the counterargument, and the rebuttal. Discuss the reasons in the order presented in the thesis.  

Write a topic sentence for each paragraph that makes a point about each reason, tying it explicitly to your thesis.

Analyze and use specific evidence from texts to support each reason and illustrate your point: summarize, paraphrase, and quote, as needed, citing the texts for all evidence you draw from them. Explain how the evidence supports the point you’re making for each reason.

Use transitions to guide the reader so they can easily follow the flow of your argument:

• To connect the thesis to the supporting reasons
• To connect the reasons to the textual evidence
• To mark the transitions between reasons, counterargument, and rebuttal

Resources: Paragraph Structure handouts (PIES, TEAS, Quote Sandwich) found on the course Canvas site in the Course Project module; Little Seagull, W-5, W-4c, and W-9b

Conclusion: Write a conclusion that ends your argument persuasively. It needs to briefly and non-repetitively summarize the argument, elaborate on the implications and significance of your thesis, and suggest direction for further study or action. The conclusion should be at least 1 paragraph.

Sources: For the final draft, you will need

• At least 5 course sources (readings, lectures, videos), at least 1 from each week
• At least 2 peer-reviewed articles from academic journals

Resources: MMW 121 Library Guide; Little Seagull, R-1e; R-2; R-3b; R-4; MMW Formatting and Submission Guidelines; “Guide to Scanning Sources, Marking and Compiling PDFs” found on the course Canvas site in the Course Project module

II.  Grading Rubric

The assignment will be evaluated based on these criteria:

Makes an Academic Argument and Adheres to Assignment:

• Asks an open-ended, debatable question and answers it with a thesis about how the course theme can be of value in addressing a problem in the present
• Argument can be supported by course materials and scholarly research
• Topic deals with one of the themes addressed in MMW 121 and a contemporary problem

Presents and Organizes Argument Effectively:

• Title gives the reader direction and focus
• Introduction engages readers’ interest in the issue; shows the significance of the issue (the “so what”); asks a question and answers it directly with a clear, arguable thesis statement that uses the assigned formula and makes the connection between the thesis and question clear
• Presents evidence for the counterargument, discusses its merits and flaws, and rebuts it with evidence, showing why the essay’s argument is better. The discussion of the counterargument is placed in the most logical and persuasive place
• Topic sentences and transitions connect thesis and supporting reasons, counterargument, rebuttal in a clear and cohesive way
• Conclusion briefly and non-repetitively summarizes the argument, elaborates on implications and significance, and may suggest direction for further study

Supports Argument with Cohesive Reasoning Based upon Scholarly and Course Sources:

• Supports main assertion with sufficient reasons, developed and illustrated by ample and relevant specific textual evidence, and discussed in the most persuasive and logical order, as specified in the paper’s introduction
• Chooses relevant sources and uses them effectively
• Clearly defines the historical and geographical context of the topic, providing background material, including definitions of key terms as needed
• Develops and supports reasons with sufficient, compelling analysis of evidence from sources
• Makes clear how the evidence supports the reasons
• Draws evidence and support from at least 5 course sources and at least 2 relevant, best possible scholarly peer-reviewed articles from academic journals

Effective Use of Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing: 

• Well-developed paragraphs integrate evidence clearly and appropriately
• Quotes are used sparingly and effectively
• Paraphrases and summaries are accurate and clear

Clear Prose:

• Grammar, mechanics, and sentence structure strengthen the argument
• Effective style appropriate to a scholar-in-training writing to intelligent peers; is a pleasure to read, clear and compelling

Appropriate Format and Accurate Citations:

• Correct formatting for paper (margins, headings, page #s, etc.)
• Correct citations in MLA format
• Follows MMW Formatting and Submission Guidelines

Sources Submitted Correctly:

• Scanned correct pages, highlighted, and submitted as required in the “MMW Formatting and Submission Guidelines” and the Submission Checklist (see section III of these guidelines)

 III.  Submission Checklist

Submit all of these files to the course Canvas site for the assignment to be considered complete

• One file for your Final Paper: Saved as either .PDF or .DOCX with a file name in this format [your full name]_Final Paper