Defining American
For this essay, you will explore what you believe it means to be an American.
Ask yourself the following:
How do you define the noun “American?”
What cultural norms are “American?”
What activities does an American do – what activities support your definition of “American?”
What habits, languages, or beliefs (or lack thereof) support the definition?
What values support the definition?
What qualities does an “American” need to have to be, well, “American”?
Note: there is no right or wrong answer – you will not be graded on what you think,
but rather how you support your ideas and explore this discussion.
Remember: you are crafting this essay for an academic audience, as such, try to avoid treating your
audience simplistically by defining common terms or explaining simple issues. Do not use Webster’s
definition and leave it at that.
Dig deep with this discussion, we are looking for clear, critical thought – not easy answers
Feel free to use first person as this is an opinion piece
No outside references are necessary
