Isaiah Jones - Assignment 4

The purpose of Assignment 4 is to write a practical policy on a topic that relates you. The argument should have a cover letter addressing an individual with the authority to enact on your proposal. The argument should also consist of a problem, solution, and justification. The instructions for this assignment are very clear. One thing I’m confused on is how many sources and quotations we need to have.

A Proposal to Change the Meal Plan

The University of Louisville should modify it's current student meal plan because the plan is too large for students, and students can only use their meal cards at certain restaurants. A solution to this problem is to allow students to choose how many flex points and meal swipes they’ll need for the semester, and to allow local restaurants around campus to accept the meal cards.  

Research needed for this argument are:

·         Find statistics on students who think the meal plan is too big and on if they believe the university should allow more restaurants to accept the meal cards.

·         A survey showing how many students are dissatisfied with the current meal plan

·         Cost information

·         Information on how this will effect restaurants around campus

Isaiah Jones - Proposal Argument

There are two types of proposal arguments: practical and policy. Practical proposals propose an action to solve a local or immediate problem and are narrow and concrete. An example of this would be a proposal to change the meal plan for students. Policy proposals propose a broad plan of action to solve major social, economic, or political problems. This type of proposal is more concerned with the broad outline and shape of a course of action. An example of this would be what the U.S. government should do about the overcrowding of prisons.

The three main stages of a proposal argument are description of a problem, proposed solution, and justification for the proposed solution. The first stage, description of a problem, calls for the reader’s attention and states statistics so the reader can gain knowledge of the seriousness of the problem. The second stage is the proposed solution. This lays out the thesis, stresses the feasibility of a solution, and shows how it will solve the problem. The third stage is justification, and this stage convinces the audience that your solution will be successful and to develop persuasive reasons for enacting it.

a.       Marijuana should be legalized because it’s not harmful. (principle)

b.      Marijuana should be legalized because it can create more jobs. (consequences)

c.       Marijuana should be legalized because of its many health benefits. (resemblance)

d.      Division I athletes should receive salaries because it’s fair since people are making money off of them. (principle)

e.      Division I athletes should receive salaries because the university makes a lot of money off of them. (consequences)

f.        Division I athletes should receive salaries because they work hard and deserve to be paid. (resemblance)

Isaiah Jones - Outline

Why are college students always stressed?

 I, like many other college students across the country, am dealing with stress. From the time I wake up to the time I go to bed, I’m stressed out. With classes, homework, club meetings, intramurals, eating, and having a social life, I get very overwhelmed and stressed. All college students’ deal with stress and it has many negative effects on health. College students are stressed due to numerous things and it can be put into three categories: time management, academics, and finances.

Time management is probably the main reason college students become stressed.

·               Classes and homework

·               Sleep

·                Friends and relationships

·               Clubs and organizations

Academic performance is a huge reason why students are stressed out.

·                Homework and studying

·                Tests

·                Increase in work

College students can also become stressed because if financial responsibilities.

 Buying your own stuff

  Jobs

 Paying for college

Stress is a major issue for college students. Time management, academics, and finances can all cause stress in students. Knowing the causes of stress and learning how to deal with them can not only reduce stress, but make your college experience more enjoyable.

Isaiah Jones - Assignment 3

The purpose of Assignment 3 is to choose a controversial topic that impacts you personally. Then write an argument on that topic persuading your audience to believe in the causes or consequences of it. Assignment 3 is very clear and doesn't need any statements added to it. One thing I’m confused about is the structure of the paper. 

Isaiah Jones - Assignment on Causal Argument

The two arguments were both very persuasive. “Marriage shows the way out of poverty” does a great job of persuading its audience because it explains why people should get married before having children with many facts and statistics. For example “Unwed childbearing has risen from 6.3 percent of all births in 1964, when President Lyndon Johnson launched the War on Poverty, to more than 40 percent today.” This statistic is very shocking and explains why there is so much poverty in this country. “When Roommate Were Random” also is a great persuasive argument. The argument states reasons why it’s not a good idea to choose your roommate or look them up on social media before actually meeting them.

The arguments both give sufficient evidence to support their claims. In “Marriage shows the way out of poverty”, the claim is to get married to avoid poverty. The evidence for this claim is people who have kids before marriage tend to be poorer than those who wait till they’re married. In “When Roommates Were Random”, the claim is that college students shouldn't be able to choose their roommates. The evidence for this is the author explained a story of his college experience with his roommate and said that he was strongly influenced by him.

I think “Marriage shows the way out of poverty” is more persuasive because it gives more evidence and isn't opinionated. There’s plenty of facts to back up the claim and help the effectiveness of it. “When Roommates Were Random” isn't a bad argument, I just think the author gave his opinions more than facts to support his claim. And also I don’t agree with his claim that you shouldn't be able to choose your roommate.

Isaiah Jones - Causal Argument Topics

Stress is a serious problem many people face. It causes major health problems like weight gain, depression, diseases, and diabetes, which could lead to death. A simple stress reducer is exercise. Exercises such as jogging, lifting weights, or even playing your favorite sport all help in reducing stress. Exercise reduces stress because it makes people feel happier, distracts people from their daily worries, and improves health.

Obesity is a huge problem in this country. Many people who are obese have an increased risk of developing health problems. Ways to prevent obesity are eat healthy, exercise regularly, and change eating habits.

Isaiah Jones - Causal Arguments

A causal argument is a type of argument that tries to show how one event brings about another. The three typical kinds of causal argument are speculations about possible causes, arguments for an unexpected or surprising cause, and predictions of consequences. An example of speculations about possible causes is the causes of the Columbine High School shooting. Arguments for an unexpected or surprising cause is persuading readers to see the plausibility of the cause. An example of this is violent video games was the cause of the Columbine shooting. Predictions of consequences is when the consequences of current, planned, or proposed actions or events are predicted.

Violent video games and movies may have been a contributing cause to school shootings because playing and watching violent media can make violence seem enjoyable.

An increase in nonsmoking advertisements can cause less teens to smoke because they don’t want to end up like the people in the commercials.

Induction is inferring a general conclusion based on limited a number of specific cases. An example of this is you got sick after drinking pink lemonade but not after drinking regular lemonade. Another example is not going to fast food restaurants anymore because you got food poisoning after eating McDonalds.