Extended Definition Assignment Sheet

Extended Definition Assignment Sheet (1000-1200 words or 4-5 pages)

 

Your purpose in this essay is to define a complex, abstract concept whose definition might be contested within a specific community that shares specific interests.  Your task is to persuade your readers that the term is, in fact, contested, that defining it is important, and that your definition is reasonable.

In order to accomplish this task, you will need to go beyond the simple and brief analytic definitions that are found in a dictionary.  You may draw on published information, but your primary source of material will come from experiences you have had and hypothetical examples that you construct from your imagination to effectively illustrate the concept.See pages 238-241 for the specific details of the assignment and step-by-step instructions on how to move from brainstorming to outlining and organizing your argument to critiquing and reviewing your work.

 

Criteria for your essay:

• Essay defines an abstract term whose definition is contested
• Essay describes the community (audience) in which the term is contested and explains what is at stake in defining the term by using at least three types of sources.
• Essay provides an analytic definition which includes class and differentiae
• Essay clearly establishes criteria for the essay term.
• Essay presents a series of criterion-match arguments.
• Essay uses a wide variety of methods for paragraph development.
• Essay effectively anticipates and responds to possible objections to definition.
• Essay includes effective introduction and conclusion.
• Essay includes proper parenthetical citations and includes a properly formatted page of Works Cited.