ENGL301

First Draft Process

For this assignment, I selected a technical term used in a specific field or academia and provide a definition for a non-technical audience. As a Political Science major and Law and Society minor, I chose to define the term Judicial Review, which is the power of the ultimate level of the judiciary branch – the Supreme Court – to declare the actions of the legislative and executive branches unconstitutional. I learned how to write three different types of definitions and distinguish each of them by their particular purpose. A parenthetical definition is a brief definition that is put in parentheses to help clarify a term when used in a sentence. I found it difficult to generate a small set of words to define my term as I tend to elaborate more than I should while writing. On the other hand, a sentence definition is a full sentence which describes the term and its distinguishing features. Lastly, the expanded definition provides a more elaborate explanation of the term through various methods such as, describing its history or how it is applied. Overall, I found the process of defining a term to a non-technical audience challenging as it required me to simplify more concepts that I used in order to define Judicial Review. Concepts such as the “dual court system” and “”separate but equal” legal doctrine are not commonly known; therefore, it was imperative that, as I was writing, I was being considerate of my audience and their scope of knowledge.

Peer Review Process

At this stage of the assignment, I assessed a team member’s technical definition of an Agonist. It was outstandingly perceptive and enjoyable being on the opposite end of the process as a non-technical audience. Beyond learning about what an Agonist is, I was able to dissect and critique the work overall. By going through the peer review process as a non-technical audience, it was interesting how often I found words that needed further defining, simply because I am not well-versed in the field. Additionally, I learned that, while there are many methods that can be used for the expanded definition, some might be better than others, depending on the term. For example, it is beneficial to compare and contrast an Agonist to an Antagonist; however, the method of comparing and contrasting would pose a lesser significance to my term, Judicial Review.

Revision Process

The final step of this assignment was to look over the feedback from the peer review provided and make the necessary revisions. Overall, I was appreciative of the feedback I received because I was able to understand my writing opportunities in a clear manner. As previously mentioned, I often find it difficult to write briefly as I tend to elaborate more than I should while writing, and the feedback I received was parallel to that. I learned that certain aspects of an assignment require more detail, such as the scenario section, whereas others may require more concise and brief explanations. As a result of this process as a whole, I learned how to apply that principle onto my forthcoming assignments.

Revised Definition: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl30199c2022w2/2023/02/14/revised-defining-judicial-review/

Peer’s Review: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl30199c2022w2/2023/02/13/peer-review-gabriella-generoso/