English Essay

Throughout Writing 10, we have been practicing basic composition techniques, with an eye towards clear organization, description, and definition, the essential skills which will inform all of your writing. The final readings and assignment for this class are designed to help you apply these skills to explaining conceptual and abstract material, in preparation for Writing 20s focus on argument and persuasion.

Consider an ism. This can be a single well-established, definable condition, such as cannibalism, terrorism, or patriotism, or a belief system, such as Catholicism, nihilism, or racism, or a broader concept such as symbolism or idealism. Your topic doesnt actually have to end in -ism — xenophobia, globalization, or pornography might all be acceptable topics for this essay. The intention here is that you limit the scope of your essay to a single condition, belief, or concept. You may choose a topic related to your classwork, major, or interests (such as ethnocentrism, scientific method, or feminism), but you need not do so. Write a FOUR to SIX page essay defining your topic, its constituent parts, related practices or beliefs, history (if applicable), rationale, and function. Your essay should be objective, not judging the topic either positively or negatively, but presenting it for the consideration of your audience. This essay should be entirely written in third-person, not the first-person perspective youve been allowed to use up to this point in the class. Even if you have personal experience or expertise in your topic, that should not be acknowledged in your essay. As always, follow the stylistic guidelines in the syllabus.

Special note: You may find it useful to consult some basic reference works (encyclopedias, etc.) for an overview of your topic. If you do so, you *must* cite any such sources correctly, using the format outlined in the Saint Martins Guide.