Writing Homework Help

SHALL WE COMMIT?

An Argumentative Essay About Involuntary Commitment

This  assignment asks you to weigh in on the debate about involuntary  commitment (or institutionalization) of those who are deemed to be  afflicted with psychiatric or psychological disorders and who may be a  danger to themselves or others. Rachel Aviv’s article, titled “God Knows  Where I Am,” profiles the story of one family’s journey to secure  treatment for their loved one with bipolar and schizoaffective disorder.  Additional texts in the unit offer arguments on all sides of the topic,  and provide important pieces of evidence and key concepts for your  consideration.

PURPOSE

The cornerstone assignment of a  transfer-level composition class is the argumentative essay. The skills  you learn in the lessons for this assignment, like the 3D Thesis  Statement and the SEAS Body Paragraph format, can apply to nearly any  academic essay, in any subject, at any institution. They’re good tools!  Additionally, this assignment facilitates skills like offering  contextual information, developing logical argument, connecting ideas,  synthesizing texts, etc. Those are necessary skills in most workplaces,  and in life! Finally, the topic of involuntary commitment intersects  both themes of the course: agency (our ability to control the  circumstances of our lives) and rights! So I hope it’s an interesting,  engaging, useful assignment for you.

PROMPT

Is the practice of involuntary commitment necessary, beneficial and/or ethical? Why or why not?

UNIT TEXTS

Rachel Aviv, “God Knows Where I Am” (published in The New Yorker, 2018)

Dinah  Miller, M.D. and Annette Hanson, M.D. “Introduction” (excerpted  Committed: The Battle Over Involuntary Psychiatric Care, 2016)

Thea Amidov, “Involuntary Commitment is Unnecessary and Discriminatory” (published in Mental Illness, 2016)

John Casada, “Involuntary Commitment is Sometimes Necessary” (published in Mental Illness, 2016)