TOPIC: You will define a concept or term significant to understanding an important issue
or debate on the american dream OR a concept or term that sheds light on some aspect of popular culture. Listed
below are topics.
PURPOSE: The purpose of your paper is either to change someone’s mind about what a
term or concept means or to explain an interesting but unfamiliar element of popular
culture and to establish an appeal for its importance.
CRITERIA: This assignment will contain elements of narrative, summary, rhetorical
analysis, and rebuttal. In other words, this essay will employ two or more of the writing
styles that we have studied this semester. Your paper should include a thesis statement,
and the body of the paper should explore the defining criteria you select. The conclusion
of your paper should point to the “big picture?.
how does knowing the meaning of X
contribute to our understanding of a larger debate or today’s popular culture and why is
that understanding necessary?
ASSESSMENT: You will be graded on how persuasively you present, explain, and defend
your topic and how clearly you relate the importance of your definition to understanding a
larger concept. Your essay should be five or more paragraphs. Avoid cliché in favor of
original metaphor. Proofread carefully and correct any major errors (sentence fragments,
run-on sentences, subject-verb agreement, or pronoun usage errors).
