Essay
4: Definition Essay
Due date:
Monday/Wednesday
Class: 11/11/09
Tuesday/Thursday
Class: 11/12/09
6:00 p.m. Wednesday
Class: 11/11/09
I have seen
some D2L issues with regard to some text on a given page loading properly. I
suggest that you immediately use your F5 key and refresh this page now, and
each subsequent time you view it.
Must be turned in to the D2L drop box ten minutes or more prior to class on the
due date. No paper copy is necessary.
General Guidelines:
- Page count: three full pages minimum to
four full pages maximum, plus an additional page, which is the works cited
page. If your essay falls short of the minimum required page count, the
grade will certainly suffer.
- Work closely with sections one and three
of lecture 2, available on D2L.
- Make certain that the essay has a
thesis, which is defined as a debatable claim. We
will spend time on this during class.
- Use the formatting guidelines
established during class lectures.
- Use the formatting guidelines
established during class lectures. Part of these guidelines includes a
Times New Roman 12 point font.
- Remember to title your essay, but do not
use the name of this assignment. In other words, no part of your essay’s
title should read “Essay 4,” or “Definition Essay.
- Take copious notes during class, and
work closely with chapter 15 of Real
Essays with Readings.
- Use one outside source, which you will
locate through Google Scholar @ http://scholar.google.com/. You must
turn in a paper copy of this source with your essay.
Background:
This
definition essay assigns an additional meaning to a given word, and argues that
the word now needs to be understood in this additional
way. Your objective is not to do away with the old meaning, but rather to argue
that the word also needs to be used and understood in
terms of your additional meaning.
Prompt:
- You cannot use
any topic previously covered in this course, or the paper will earn a
grade of zero.
- Your Definition Essay
focuses on the word “terrorism,” and you will assign to it an additional
meaning.
- Your essay will
redefine a particular issue/problem as terrorism, and to solve this
problem the Department of Homeland Security will have authority over its
resolution. Here is an example that you are not allowed to use in your essay (because I want you to devise
your own):
·
The
condition of the public school system in the U.S. appears to be in
ever-worsening condition, and that it is allowed to continue on this downward
slide is a form of terrorism that must come to an end.
Henceforth, the Department of Homeland Security will allocate funds to . . .
- In effect, you
are not dealing with traditional notions of terrorism, such as al Queda, and terrorist attacks that may cause loss of
life and/or destruction of property. Rather, you are going to focus on a
societal problem that you feel passionate about, and argue for it to be redefined as a form of terrorism that must be
addressed.
- The bulk of your
essay will argue for the specific way to resolve the problem.
- You are required
to locate one outside source through Google Scholar @ http://scholar.google.com/,
from which you must use at least two direct quotations and one paraphrase.
Each quotation should be relatively short, meaning a sentence or two.
- You will also be
graded on the successful negotiation of Lecture 3, “How to Fix the Extra
Spacing Between Paragraphs in MS Word 2007.”
- You cannot use a topic you have previously written about
in a major project, or the paper will receive a grade of zero.
Structure and
Organization:
Do
the following in your introductory paragraph:
- Frame some
background about what the Department of Homeland Security has
traditionally dealt with.
- Explain why the
problem you have chosen to focus on should be regarded
as terrorism.
- Introduce the
fact that The Department of Homeland Security’s role will now expand to
have authority over, and solve the problems associated with this
additional type of terrorism.
4.
Locate
the thesis statement as the final sentence of the introductory paragraph, and
remember that a thesis is defined as a debatable
claim.
Do
the following in your body paragraphs:
·
Give
readers clear and detailed examples or explanations of the causes and effects,
while making clear that the essay advances an argument that supports the claim
made in the thesis statement. Use short quotations throughout.
·
Use
the one, two, three rule, as follows:
1.
Make
a debatable claim.
2.
Support
the claim with a quote.
3.
Explain
the connection between your claim and the quote.
Do
the following in your concluding paragraph:
- Include sentences that make
connections with, or revisit, points from your introductory paragraph and
your body paragraphs. These points now serve to close your argument.
Here, the thesis statement should surely be reaffirmed.
Possible Topics that
Could be Added to a Definition of Terrorism (or choose your own):
1.
The
public school system
2.
Healthcare
3.
Taxes
4.
Homelessness
5.
Political
Lobbying
6.
Minimum
wage
7.
No-bid
military contracts: Halliburton, KBR, Blackwater
8.
Torture/Enhanced-Interrogation
Tactics
9.
Patriot
Act
Two Important points:
- During
class there will be much direct instruction from
me, so you must attend class to be successful. I will also assist you
during peer revisions and I am available for questions via E-mail, before
and after class, and during office hours.
- Think
about what we have focused on during the classes that led up to this essay:
discussions, lectures, grammar and punctuation, MLA Style Guidelines, and
formatting requirements. Proofread your paper for errors before turning it
in for grading.
Two more important points:
1.
Remember
that MLA Style Guidelines is an important element of this course, and if you
negotiate them at an exceedingly low skill level this paper will receive an
unsatisfactory grade at best.
2.
Remember
that you and I have the same goals: you should gain worthwhile skills from this
course; you should finish the course with a nice grade. If you have questions
or concerns, please talk to me, for I want to help you. I want to see you do
well, so my best advice to you is to come to class, do all the coursework, give
everything your best effort, turn in work on time, and be prepared for class.
Due Date:
Monday/Wednesday
Class: 11/11/09
Tuesday/Thursday
Class: 11/12/09
6:00 p.m. Wednesday
Class: 11/11/09