Classification Essay
Assignment Content
Objective: Practice making connections between texts or ideas; engage in critical thinking; learn to organize similar items into separate categories based on their differences; recognize how classification and division affect a person’s world-view.
Description: This past summer, in the midst of a global pandemic, we witnessed wave after wave of civil unrest as people from all over the world took to the streets in protest of racial injustice. This unrest has reignited debates surrounding the distinction between violent and nonviolent protest.
According to the Ruckus Society, direct action is the “strategic use of immediately effective acts to achieve a social or political end and challenge an unjust power dynamic,” and that there are FOUR different types of nonviolent direct action: 1. Protest 2. Non-cooperation 3. Intervention 4. Creative Solutions.
Instructions: Write a SIX paragraph essay that classifies the four different categories of nonviolent direct action. Your essay should devote a single body paragraph for each type of nonviolent direct action (i.e. one paragraph for “protest,” another for “intervention,” and so forth). Each body paragraph should give ONE real-life, recent example of the nonviolent direct action.
Criteria:
Thesis that states that states the topic, classification of the topic, and its divisions (categories);
Series of logical reasons or points to justify your thesis;
Overt connections between reasons and examples;
Clear, logical organization including effective use of paragraphing;
Effective use of paraphrasing and quotation and integration of at least FOUR outside sources obtained from the Monroe College Library Databases;
Sentences relatively free from errors.
Correctly formatted Title Page, Abstract, and References Page
Format: APA (see https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.html).
Length: approx. 800-1000 words.
Steps:
Introduction: Describe the topic of the essay by using broad opening statements. As the introduction progresses, get more specific about the topic. At the end of the introduction, a thesis should be included. The thesis should include the topic, the classification of the topic, and the categories into which the topic will be divided into (i.e. “The four different types of nonviolent direct action are protest, non-cooperation, intervention, and creative solution”).
Body Paragraphs: Each category listed in the thesis statement should have its own body paragraph. In other words, each body paragraph should focus on only one category. Classification essays can be as long or short as necessary, depending on the number of categories listed in the thesis. Support each category with several examples that provide evidence and further prove the validity of the points. Typically, each category should be supported with the same number of examples. In this section of the paper, the goal is to explain each category. For example, what makes a horror film, or what makes a comedy film. It is important to explain how each example fits into its category. This helps the reader differentiate between the different points.
Conclusion: Conclude classification essays by re-emphasizing the main points. It is important to restate and rewrite the thesis of the essay at the beginning of the conclusion. Be careful to avoid rewriting it word for word. This will refresh the reader’s memory and allow him or her to form complete ideas about the information given. Unlike an introduction, it is best for the conclusion paragraph to start specific and lead into broader topics. Do not mention any information that was not previously discussed in the essay.
