Guidelines and Expectations
An expository essay is a work of academic writing that informs readers about a given topic by defining, describing, examining, developing, explaining, and analyzing the subject. While the persuasive mode forms a debatable stance via its thesis, the expository essay does not aim to create debate; rather, it seeks to explain the topic as clearly and concisely as possible.
To support your paper, you must include quotes or paraphrases from 3-4 scholarly sources and cite these sources appropriately using the MLA citation method. A scholarly source includes a book; book chapter; article in academic journal (printed or digital version); or academic websites. Non-academic websites (ie. Wikipedia, news sites, blogs) do not count as scholarly sources.
You are encouraged to visit a tutor at the Writing & Learning Centre when working on your draft for this paper. Please email me the WLC report, which they will send you after your session.
Essay Topics
You are encouraged to choose your own topic to fit with your area of intended study/interest. However, it would be prudent to stay away from heavily-debated, contentious issues, as much writing about these topics will focus on the persuasive mode. Selecting a topic with plentiful pre-existing scholarship about it will make your research easier. Some ideas:
Define a cultural or psychological phenomenon and describe its processes using detailed examples
Define and explain the development of a particular musical, literary, or artistic movement or genre
Explain the cause and effect of a historical event
Compare and contrast the latest developments in a certain type of technology
Essay-Writing Checklist
I have used 3-4 scholarly sources to support my ideas, and directly quoted or paraphrased from them.
I have added appropriate quote marks to every quotation used and included a citation with the author’s name and the page number.
I have a properly-formatted and properly-indented Works Cited list at the end of my paper.
I have not plagiarized or purchased any part of my paper or used other people’s words and ideas without properly quoting and citing them. Essays which contain any form of plagiarism will receive a grade of zero and incur an automatic Academic Alert.
I have checked my essay tone and diction to ensure I am maintaining the expository mode (explaining, rather than arguing).
I have checked my essay format, topic sentences, and paragraph content to ensure they are cohesive.
I have spell-checked my essay and checked for any grammatical errors.
I have checked the word count of my essay, double-spaced the text, added page numbers, and formatted the font in twelve-point size.
Evaluation
Your paper will receive a mark out of 25, worth 15% of your final grade.
/10 Demonstration of clear comprehension of the topic; use of valid, relevant sources
/5 Essay structure and organization: clear introduction, body, conclusion
/5 Writing style (academic, professional language), spelling and grammar
/5 Citations performed appropriately using the MLA method
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