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Paper #4: Researched Definition Paper

For this paper, you will defining the term evolution and give readers a real world example of it.  For this paper that definition of evolution must be in your own words, although you may research, quote, and cite other definitions as you create your own.  As last time, your paper should not seek to support or debunk the Theory of Evolution, but you may use the religious debate as a way to explain what evolution is--as long as you explain in your thesis that that is the subject you'll use to demonstrate what evolution is.  Another strategy could be to address the evolution of the Bible or of Christianity or of--or of liquid hand soap.


Graphic from Tufts University's Cosmic Evolution website, at http://www.tufts.edu/as/wright_center/cosmic_evolution/docs/splash.html


The purpose of this assignment is two-fold: it should inform your classmates and me of how we should understand the term evolution, as well as clarifying the term's meaning for a larger cultural or community use.  As such, your thesis should contain both the brief definition of the term evolution and the subject/s or topic/s you will use to illustrate your definition.  Do not be afraid to have several components to your definition of evolution, as it is certainly a more complex word, especially in modern usage. Some of these components might address how evolution differs from change or the role played by internal or external factors relative to the entity that evolves (pun somewhat intended).

You will support or anchor your definition and/or explanation with quoted proof in this paper, so please remember to cite those sources properly, using MLA style, as detailed in the IVCC Style Book, within and and the end of your paper.  The minimum number of sources required for this paper is three (3).  For this paper, these sources must be of high academic quality; the preferred type of source is material from a refereed academic journal, like the kinds you can obtain through a ProQuest or a WilsonSelectPlus/FirstSearch search through our library.

We will peer review these papers in class, but you may also have your essay read by a reader in the Writing Center on campus; if you do so, make sure you bring in a copy of this assignment sheet with your draft and remember that the readers in the Center may require a 48-hour turn around time, so plan ahead.  Having your paper at the Writing Center is not a valid excuse for not having it in on time.  

Make sure as you write this paper that you are using examples to support your definition of evolution, rather than letting the paper be guided or consumed by a description or history of the topic/s you are discussing.  In other words, as you talk about the real world subject, make sure its relation to or status within the evolutionary process is clear.

Format: This essay should be double-spaced, laser-printed, carefully edited and proofread, and stapled before you turn it in. You should have a heading with your name, my name, the course title and section number, and date on it. You must give the paper number and title a line of its own, and your last name and the page number should appear at the top right of each page, after your first page. This paper should be at least four pages in length with one-inch margins, not including the Work or Works Cited page.

Your rough draft is due at the beginning of class for optional peer review on ______________ .