Writing an essay means:
Creating ideas from information Creating arguments from ideas Creating academic discourse to
present your arguments
A well written essay should:
Display objectivity Contain hard evidence Bring something new Be excitingly creative
What is an essay?
What’s the subject? What’s the question? What’s the topic? What kind of argument am I using?
An essay does three things:
It addresses a topic: What’s my position?
It answers a question: The essay question even if it doesn’t ask a question.
It usually takes the form of an argument
An academic argument is made up of three elements:
A claim that you are arguing for A reason to support that claim Reasoning and evidence to link the
reason to the claim
There are three types of argument
Truth (scientific) Deliberative (polemical) Evaluative (humanities)
Think of an essay…
as a thought experiment
An essay takes a reader on a journey from introduction to conclusion
Finding your topic: Where do you stand?
An essay’s topic expresses your view on the subject.
To ask your topic ask: Where’s my perspective on this task? What’s my position?
What question are you answering?
Sometimes, the question doesn’t look like a question at all.
Many questions are in the form of instructions
These instructions are contained in directive words, for example outline, compare and contrast, or discuss.
What do you mean “argument”?
Argument = disagreement Arguments of this kind revolve
around feelings or moral issues Argue = making a case (a lawyer
arguing her case in court; or a politician arguing for reduced taxes)
There are three elements of an academic argument.
A claim that you are arguing for. A reason to support that claim. Reasoning and evidence to link the
reason to the claim.
In its simples form, an argument is:CLAIM because REASON
Academic arguments A thesis statement (= the argument’s
claim)
A well constructed essay contains: REASONING – presents ideas in a logical
structure EVIDENCE, information suggesting or
demonstrating that the ideas are credible or true.
There are 3 types of academic arguments An argument claiming that STHG IS
TRUE
Arguments using truth claims are most common in the sciences.
Papers involving claims of this kind are not usually called “essay”; it is advisable to call them “reports” or simply “papers”
An argument claiming that STHG SHOULD HAPPEN (Polemical arguments)
These are based on DELIBERATIVE CLAIMS (seeking to persuade its audience to pursue a course of action)
Such arguments are not base on experimental evidence alone; they will also involve appeals to values, beliefs and morals.
An argument making an EVALUATIVE CLAIM Evaluative claims, like truth claims,
propose that sthg is true. They cannot be decided by
experiment or measurement. They demand that we evaluate
evidence, that we judge and discriminate it according to other bodies of knowledge, values or priorities.
Evaluative claims create debate.
EVALUATIVE arguments are most common in:
the humanities literary criticism history art history but also, in psychology, economics,
geography.
BALANCED ARGUMENTS
How can an argument be both balanced and persuasive?
How can it look at both sides of an issue, and then pursue one point of view, rigorously towards a conclusion?
Warning! There are two traps: 1. WRITING A POLEMIC, suggesting that
anyone who thinks differently is an idiot; 2. SITTING ON THE FENCE and
producing an essay that says nothing convincing at all:
e.g. On the one hand, World War II was a terrible disaster, on the other hand, much good came out of it.
An ACADEMIC ARGUMENT
both BALANCED and STRONGSUGGESTION: Consider VIEWPOINTS OTHER
THAN YOUR OWN Acknowledge their PLAUSIBILITY Show HOW, in your opinion, they
are INADEQUATE OR FLAWED.
1. Work out what you want to say and in what order! – That’s PLANNING!
2. Write it ! – That’s DRAFTING! 3. Check that what you’ve written
is as easy to read as possible. – That’s EDITING!
DRAFTING
Keep the plan
of your outline
Add illustrations, citations and
quotations
Add an introduction
Add a conclusion
Directive words: ARGUMENT (i)
Account for = give reasons for
Argue = make a claim and support it
Asses = summarize your opinion and measure it against something
Balance = asses two or more viewpoints and evaluate them against different criteria (perhaps with weightings given to each criterion), to decide which viewpoint is most convincing.
Critique = identify an argument or position and refute it; create a counterargument
Demonstrate = give proof or evidence to show that a proposition is true
Estimate = argue by calculating or determining the likelihood of something
Evaluate = appraise the worth of something in the light of its truth or usefulness; asses an argument and determine its validity (similar to “critique”)
Directive words: ARGUMENT (ii)
Justify = create an argument to support a position or claim and answer any objections or counterarguments
Prove = argue that a claim is true or certain; provide a strong evidence (and examples)
Respond = counter a position or argument
Review = evaluate and give your judgment
Support = find reasons for a claim