Definition Paper
A few people have asked me to tell them again what I want you to do in your definition paper. The definition paper is described in your syllabus, and I have talked about the definition paper in class several times. Here, again, is what I am asking you to do:
Using at least three readings from your text that deal with an issue of definition, tell me how they define the issue they choose and then respond to the definitions you find using what we have talked about in class. Write at least two double-spaced typed pages on what you find.
The paper is due to be turned in on September 27 by the end of class. You will have class time to work on it both Wednesday, September 20 and Wednesday, September 27. You must turn the paper in at the end of class on September 27 to get full credit for doing it.
The chapters in your book that have the most definition-based articles are 28 (almost all readings in the chapter), 27 and 26.
If you WANT to look outside your text to find ANOTHER article (in addition to the three you choose from your book), you are welcome to do so. If you choose an article from an outside source, you will need to document that article--that is, you will need to give a bibliographic reference telling me how to find it.
I hope this expanded description helps you.
Using at least three readings from your text that deal with an issue of definition, tell me how they define the issue they choose and then respond to the definitions you find using what we have talked about in class. Write at least two double-spaced typed pages on what you find.
The paper is due to be turned in on September 27 by the end of class. You will have class time to work on it both Wednesday, September 20 and Wednesday, September 27. You must turn the paper in at the end of class on September 27 to get full credit for doing it.
The chapters in your book that have the most definition-based articles are 28 (almost all readings in the chapter), 27 and 26.
If you WANT to look outside your text to find ANOTHER article (in addition to the three you choose from your book), you are welcome to do so. If you choose an article from an outside source, you will need to document that article--that is, you will need to give a bibliographic reference telling me how to find it.
I hope this expanded description helps you.
posted by Michael Saunders at 7:37 PM
2 Comments:
So, basically the definition paper is reading the 3 readings you choose and explain how the topic is presented within those readings, and then explaining how the presentation makes you feel?
Chris: thanks for your question. The first part of what you say is right--present how something is defined in the three readings--AND THEN comment on the definitions using what we talked about in class from Lunsford's textbook and whatever comment you deem appropriate, true and FAIR. What kinds of definitions do you find? What do they seem to be intended to do--change your mind, inform you, or make you want to take action? What is missing in the definitions you find? What is emphasized in those definitions? Do you find the definitions to be proper or improper? What sense do you make about the subject treated by these definitions, based on what you have read AND THOUGHT ABOUT ON YOUR OWN? You can use these questions to help you develop a discussion that is as thorough and as thoughtful as one could hope from a few pages of prose. You're being asked to do an exercise, like running laps or playing scales on a piano. The exercise probably feels artificial, but it's intended to make you more skillful at developing a discussion. Thanks again for your question.
M
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