I have chosen my research question to focus on the topic of mental health. I have come up with the question “To what extent does depression affect an individual’s day to day life?” as the basis of my essay. I’ve picked this research question since I personally relate to the issue of mental health, specifically depression, which is the main reason I’ve decided to make it my research question. I’d like to understand the full effects that it has on someone’s day to day life and if any of it is similar to my own struggles, which I expect in all honesty, and overall just become more informed. I believe it’s an important and relevant social issue as more and more people today are being affected by mental health issues in today’s society. Depression is becoming more and more common over the years and it’s important to understand the problems it can cause in our lives since it affects such a large proportion of our society. The timeframe is listed here: By 10/19, I’ll have my research question along with other materials. By 10/22, I’ll have some research done and present all sources I have at the moment and analyze them. By 10/25, I’ll hopefully have the workings of a rough draft based on my model essay which will be revised after peer review. Lastly, around 10/28-29 I’ll have a final draft finished that I can submit.

The audience I hope to direct my essay towards are those with depression as I’d like them to become more informed about how it affects their lives on a day to day basis. The link to my model essay is https://www.rtor.org/2020/03/18/depression-and-its-effect-on-your-life/

A possible source is https://cuny-cc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CUNY_CC/qlf695/cdi_proquest_miscellaneous_1781541540

The social issue that I’d like to work on for my essay is the inequality and struggles of the LGBTQ+ community in the U.S. While I myself am not apart of the LGBTQ+ community I recognize their struggles to this day around the world and would like to become more informed for myself and those close to me who are a part of it. They continue to suffer discrimination and are unable to express themselves like any other person just because of their sexual orientation and preferences. The idea of self identity and being able to form your own individual path in life is very important to me and I believe everyone is entitled to it in this life and its a shame that they suffer from trying to be themselves. There is a long history surrounding their struggles and fight for equality in the U.S and it continues to this day. I’d like to learn more about the history and the many issues that the LGBTQ+ community goes through in the U.S and how they are being handled. Learning as much information I can involving this social issue is important to me so I can become more informed on my views towards these issues and help spread knowledge on the topic as much as I can. The U.S is definitely one of the places with the most advocacy for change for the LGBTQ+ community so I’d like to focus on it and see the specifics of the situation here.

My name is Luis Cruz Martinez, my pronouns are he/him/his, and I’m majoring in Philosophy.

One aspect that appeals to me after reviewing the syllabus is that there will be peer review on our essays and writings because I appreciate people’s assistance in my writing a lot. On the other hand, I am a bit nervous about being required to write such long essays because I have written them in the past but the pandemic greatly affected my school year and I’ve been out of practice for quite some time now to say the least.  I intend to use this class to help me transition back into the habit of writing long essays since it’ll definitely be a requirement for some of my other classes. Additionally, I’d like to improve the level of my writing at the moment as well which I’m sure will happen.

I think everyone has a different opinion of the concept of a good writer but there is usually a general agreement on some requirements. One has to be able to convey their purpose in a way that clearly explains the concept they are trying to show but also doesn’t confuse the reader in the midst of the explanation. Another aspect of a good writer is being able to make an impact on the reader with their writing. It doesn’t matter how big or small that impact is, whether its just a small amount of new knowledge or something that changes their entire perspective on life, it just matters that the writing didn’t just do nothing for them. One has to simply keep writing in order to become a good writer but do many things along the way of that such as taking criticism from others, expanding their vocabular, reviewing their writing, and more. It’s important to write well so you are able to formulate your thoughts into an organized and condensed matter because sometimes you may fully understand something or have ideas in your mind that you have to be able to write down in a way so everyone else can understand as well.

The easiest part of writing for me is actually writing once I figure out exactly how I want to write it. The feeling of this flow like state happens and I find that I can often write long papers once I get how and what I’m trying to write. The process before then though can be difficult for me and oftentimes it can take some time to find exactly how I want to write something. I think I personally need to work on transitioning from one part of my essay to another because sometimes I can do it well but I know I need to get better at it.

I’m a philosophy major so it’s obvious that I’m expected to write on all types of different philosophies and my own personal take on several things in life as well. Philosophy is a major where I can be expected to write on many genres throughout my career. It’s expected to be an efficient writer for my career since philosophy can have some difficult concepts to grasp for both people in and out of the field so it’s important to be able to convey your words in a way that everyone can understand regardless of their knowledge on the subject. Oftentimes a person may actually understand the concept you are trying to explain but not in the way you are writing it.