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Project Three Bucket - submit ROUGH DRAFT for workshop here. 

Submit FINAL DRAFT through SAFE ASSIGN on Blackboard - (link to BB sign in) http://blackboard.wayne.edu/wsuauth/

Toolbox: Definition Project 

Some terms (and supporting texts) for "hard test cases": 

terrorism

marriage

child

Research Databases: 

Lexis Nexis http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic/?

OED Online http://dictionary.oed.com/entrance.dtl

Questions to Answer: 

This paper is different than the rhetorical analyses we have done up to this point. When thinking about this paper, ask yourself these questions about the word/idea you are defining. You can incorporate (some) of the answers into your paper: 

1. What word/term/concept/idea will you be defining and why?
2.   What do you offer in defining this idea that has not been (well) covered elsewhere? What is your unique perspective?
3.  What is the audience for this piece (be as specific as possible)? 
4. How is your audience likely to feel about this issue/concept before the read your project?
5.  What is your purpose in arguing this definition? (I.e, what's your point?)
6.  What strategies (pathos appeals, resemblance arguments, etc.) do you plan to use in making this argument?

Project Three: Definition

Description

This paper allows you to focus on an argument type which commonly arises before we can argue about what should be done to address an issue: “What is the nature or definition of something?”

Invention

The need for definition arises when people have diverging ideas about what a term means or an audience has difficulty understanding a concept. The purpose of this assignment is to define something—a condition or a concept you know well or have researched—either to change an audience’s thinking about its meaning or to help them understand it better. You will need to have some purpose for arguing this definition, and you will need to direct your writing to some audience whose thinking you want to influence. In other words, though our first two projects focused on the default audience of your classmates, this project demands that you formulate what "real" audience you will be writing for and where you might "send" or submit this piece when it is completed.

Composition

Remember your credibility is important here, as it is in all arguments. Take care to present yourself as someone who is reasonably well-informed about the issue you’ll discuss. If you have any established ethos with the audience, be sure to draw on that. You might also consider composing this project in collaboration with another class member. As mentioned way back at the beginning of the semester all projects save the first two may be done collaboratively.