Extended Definition Essay: Social Justice En101 Fall
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
EXTENDED DEFINITION ESSAY: SOCIAL JUSTICE EN101 FALL SEMESTER, 2009 PROFESSOR MANN The next essay for this semester is Extended Definition, in which you will explain what a term means or which meaning is intended when a word has a number of different meanings. This is an essay that is part of a cooperative effort between Montgomery College and the Smithsonian Center for Museum Studies in Washington, D.C. In almost any definition essay, it usually is necessary to include a brief definition of an important term. A brief or standard definition is the kind found in a dictionary and consists of the term itself, the class to which the term belongs, and characteristics that distinguish the kind found in a dictionary. In an Extended Definition essay, you provide your readers with your personal understanding of a concept or term. Your essay was assigned on October 12. On October 23, we will have an in-class Peer Review. Any student who does not have an essay will lose one-half grade point on his/her final essay. You will be using MLA documentation for this essay, and you will source your dictionary definition and other sources, as we have discussed in class. Due Dates: Rough Draft: October 23: 2 pages with Peer Review: Any student who does not have a Rough Draft for peer review will lose one-half grade point on his/her final essay. Second Draft: October 30: 3-4 pages with Peer Review. Any student who does not have a Second Draft for Peer Review with MLA citations will lose one-half grade point on his/her final essay. Final Draft: November 4: 3-4 pages with two at least three sources, using MLA citations Subject: A LENS ON SOCIAL JUSTICE AS SEEN THROUGH THE EVENTS AT THE GREENSBORO LUNCH COUNTER A Brief History of the Lunch Counter: On February 1, 1960, four black students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College began a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth’s (variety store) lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. The event escalated into similar nonviolent protests throughout the South. Six months later, the original four protestors were served lunch at the same Woolworth’s counter. Student sit-ins would be effective throughout the Deep South in integrating parks, swimming pools, theaters, libraries and other public facilities, raising the issues connected with social justice to media coverage throughout the U.S. and abroad. In late 1993, the Smithsonian Museum of American History began negotiations with Woolworth’s to obtain four stools, a corresponding eight-foot section of counter, mirrors, a soda fountain, and a section of the cornice, all as close to the original sit-in site as documented by photographs. The Greensboro Lunch Counter has become one of the most famous objects in the Museum today, and the Museum plans a number of events to highlight the 50th Anniversary of the sit-in, beginning in early 2010. Assignment: You will write a three-four page extended definition on Social Justice, using the Greensboro Lunch Counter as an object that tells a story, the story of one event in the history of social justice for blacks in America. You must incorporate the history of the Greensboro sit-in, using at least three good sources to help you extend your definition of social justice. This also will be your personal journey with the term social justice. What did the term mean to you when you began this assignment? What does it mean today? Did this experience change you in any way, positive or negative? Did this assignment make you curious to learn more about the civil rights movement in America and to visit other museums or to spend a longer time in the Museum of American History? Readings: I will assign a number of readings to highlight the events in Greensboro. You’ll be discussing the readings both in class and in your assigned groups. I expect each student to come prepared for the reading discussion, and any student who arrives in class unprepared for the day’s discussion may be asked to leave the class. 2. Assigned Readings and Visual Aids include: 1. “Greensboro Lunch Counter”: http://americanhistory.si.edu/news/factsheet.cfm?key=30&newskey=30 2. “Sitting for Justice,” William Yeingst, with contributions from Lonnie Bunch, Americanhistory.si.edu/Brown…/6…/freedom-struggle-2.html 3. “Greensboro Sit-In”: www.northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/299/entry 4. “The Woolworth Sit-in That Launched a Movement”: www.npr.org/templates/story.php?storyld=18615556 5. “Greensboro Sit-Ins: Launch of a Civil Rights Movement: Home www.sitins.com/ 6. “February One”: http://www.feberuaryonedocumentary.com/index.html 7. “Letter from Birmingham Jail”: http://www.mlkonline.net/jail.html 8. “Civil Rights Timeline”: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/civilrightstimeline1.html Purpose: In contrast to a very limited dictionary definition, your Extended Definition conveys what your understanding and experience have taught you about that concept or term. As in other essays, you should think in terms of supporting your definition, which serves as your thesis, with three or four (or more) to support your thesis. What you will be writing is an extended definition, which focuses on a specific term and discusses it in detail. The thesis of an extended definition essay often includes a brief standard definition of the term and tells why the term is worth reading about. An extended definition essay includes enough distinguishing characteristics and details so that readers can grasp the meaning of the term. Such an essay may use negation and address misconceptions. This is both an academic and personal essay, and you must use at least one quote from one of your readings or from the Smithsonian presentation. Objectives: --to write a successful essay that includes development, drafting, revising and proofreading --to read college-level material and summarize articles to demonstrate comprehension --to incorporate sourcing into your essay and complete a Works Cited --to avoid plagiarism when using the information from your readings by introducing and citing appropriately --to understand important patterns of thought and organization Technology Component: In addition to the essay, each student is expected to participate in a technology project that will accompany the written assignment. The technology component offers each of you a chance to earn bonus points toward a final grade. Audience: Your professor and classmates Length: 3-page minimum for Final Draft of your Extended Essay. Grading: Your grade will be based on how well you: Define “Social Justice” and give examples Introduce your word in an introductory paragraph that creates interest and create a successful topic sentence Articulate the definition and provide solid examples to back up the meaning, including personal experiences and insights Include specific details in your examples to support the thesis’ statement Organize your ideas—arrange paragraphs and examples in a strong, thoughtful, logical order, and connect them with transitional phrases, sentences, phrases, or words Use correct grammar and punctuation Correctly incorporate MLA in-text and Works Cited 3. Requirements for all drafts: must contain a dictionary definition with In-text and Work Cited, MLA format typed or word processed, 12 point type, double spaced, one side only, titled must contain all required information in upper right hand corner and subsequent pages must contain enough information to assess material adequately must meet the minimum length for a final draft must be legible and written coherently .