ENGLISH 1013: EXTENDED DEFINITION

What is this assignment?

In this assignment, you will be crafting an extended definition. An extended definition is a detailed clarification of a significant thing. Specifically, you will be investigating a thing – an object, mechanism, process, or concept – of significance and teaching your audience why that thing matters. It will be your task as the writer to identify the thing, describe the thing, provide background/context for this thing, and answer the questions: why does it matter, and to whom does it matter?

This assignment requires some complex consideration before you begin drafting. To begin, you will need to select the thing you’re seeking to define. Some examples might be: anti-lock brakes, mechanical keyboards, chopsticks, the food pyramid, radiation therapy, the Montessori method, yoga, integrated circuits, Reddit, sustainable farming, the Strontium-90 radioactive isotope, or Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition. Next, you will need to identify a context for your definition, which will dictate the intended audience. To do this, consider the following question: where “in the wild” would you see a need for this extended definition? For example, if you chose to write about “anti-lock brakes,” you might imagine that your definition will appear in the operator’s manual for a new car. The target audience would likely be a new car owner who is potentially unfamiliar with what an anti-lock braking system is, how it operates, and what it is designed to protect against. 

After you have identified the greater context and the intended audience, you will be ready to decide how to craft your extended definition around the requirements below. 

This assignment helps you develop the essential skills described in our course learning outcomes 1 -7 (listed on the front page of our syllabus).