Biography/Profile

Final Project -Biography/Profile
Instructions   
Remember, for this Final Project, you will do the OPPOSITE of whichever you chose for the ARGUMENT ASSIGNMENT.
Remember at the beginning of class when I said Mental Health was a topic that I thought was not only important, but one that was close to me. Not enough people talk about it. I know this semester has been a struggle, whether academically, emotionally, professionally, or personally. For your final paper, I want you to explore mental health through the various options below.

If it helps, here are a couple of good books & resources that touch upon mental health from various angles.

Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson, (Don’t) Call me Crazy by Various, The Wicker King by K. Ancrum

The Suicide Hotline & The Trevor Project

SPECIAL NOTES:
For each of the projects (and suboptions) below, you are to draw on all of the knowledge that you’ve learned so far. Who is your audience (hint – not me), what is your chosen appeal and/or approach? Is it necessary for you to consider a counter-argument or a negative proof (something that works against you) to possibly make your piece stronger?

PROFILE PROJECT
If you chose CLASSICAL ARGUMENT, you must do this version.

The Profile Project will consist of two parts.

Part 1) You will first pick a topic surrounding mental health/mental health advocacy. Research people around you, famous people you admire, works of genius, etc. And pick one person who embodies this topic.

(for example: If I am choosing Jenny Lawson, I could pick her Folder of 24)

Part 2) You are to create some sort of project/display about this topic and educating people on it. I don’t want a Kony 2012 awareness campaign, but something meaningful that not only sheds light on a tough topic, but also a helpful and informative project showcasing resources available.

(for example: continuing from above – I could put together a video that demonstrates resources for talking about and sharing mental health issues in order to help others, the way Jennys book helped those 24).

BIOGRAPHY PAPER
If you chose TOULMIN Method, you must do this version.

The Biography Paper will have two sub choices: A or B.

Version A: Creative-Non Fiction

Write a piece of creative non-fiction (think memoir) about yourself. You could write a contained essay, capture a vignette, or a letter to an editor (style). I want you to explore the prompt below:

What does mental health mean to you (or someone close to you)? <– you don’t have to answer literally. You can simply tell a story.

**Note on this: It doesn’t get shared with anyone except for me, so feel free to be as authentic as you wish. If you find yourself straying into the fiction territory, shelf that project for another day and return to non-fiction.

Version B: Formalized Essay

Pick a topic related to mental health that you can research. This must include a thesis, works cited, appropriate citations, introduction, and conclusion.

Course Outcomes
Review and extrapolate the different goals within each medium (news sources, videos, essays, creative non-fiction, arguments, point-counter points, academic journals, etc.) with the intention of being able to recreate the various achievements from each composition, using appropriate documentation systems, to demonstrate understanding including: determining an exigence/intent, distinguishing design/style/genre conventions, identifying intended/key audience and arguments, examining the author’s purpose/tone, and criticizing choices displayed within the rhetorical construct