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Essay Writing Basics and Guidelines

This document provides an overview of an analytical writing tutorial for students. It explains that the tutorial aims to help students of diverse backgrounds improve their writing skills, as writing is important for graduate school. The tutorial will cover the requirements for essay writing, discuss how concepts are constructed in assigned readings, and may analyze a past student paper. Students will write a short introductory essay to practice constructing an original argument using evidence from the readings. Guidelines are provided on the grading scale, criteria, and how to avoid common problems in analytical writing.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
13 views29 pages

Essay Writing Basics and Guidelines

This document provides an overview of an analytical writing tutorial for students. It explains that the tutorial aims to help students of diverse backgrounds improve their writing skills, as writing is important for graduate school. The tutorial will cover the requirements for essay writing, discuss how concepts are constructed in assigned readings, and may analyze a past student paper. Students will write a short introductory essay to practice constructing an original argument using evidence from the readings. Guidelines are provided on the grading scale, criteria, and how to avoid common problems in analytical writing.

Uploaded by

f1sky4242
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

The

basics of analy/cal wri/ng and argumenta/on: Part 1


Nego%a%on & Regula%on Tutorial 1 // 04.10.2013

Why this tutorial?


Diversity of student body at IHEID: mul%ple mother tongues, dis%nct backgrounds (not all social science, not all same social science etc.) Increasing importance of wri%ng in grad school Experience from last years teaching this class 100% of your grade comes from what you write!

Aims/Structure of Tutorial
Explain formal requirements of essay wri%ng + grading etc (!). Discuss the distributed readings in terms of how concepts are constructed and argued. Go over a real-paper from last year (if %me). Improve your grade. [Note for French speakers!]

First Essay: A Warm Up


Purpose of the essay: Very short, introductory paper, designed to give you a warm up in essay requirements: Construc*ng an original argument in conceptual terms, using appropriate empirical evidence.

First Essay: Formal Requirements


1500 Words, some leniency Pick 1/3 Ques%ons Draw on assigned readings (5-6 per q.) Can use outside sources but neither necessary nor recommended Due October 16th at 18:00, Geneva Time Submit Electronically to both TAs

Grading Scale
Ins%tute Grading Scale: 4.00 = Pass 4.25/4.5 = Major Problems 4.75 = Several minor + 1 major problems. 5.00 = Quite Good Essay 5.25 = Really Good Essay 5.50-75 = Very Good Essay 6.00 = (Virtually) Impossible

Assessment Criteria
How we evaluate your essays (order of importance): Understanding of argumenta%on in readings Originality and coherence of your own argument. Execu%on: syntax, logical connec%ons, explica%on. Formali%es (Word Count, Referencing, Quotes)

Assessment Criteria II
Examples for Grades
5.25: You have grasped the arguments of the readings correctly, unpacked the ques%on, produced an original argument that contains no logical aws, but some weaknesses remain. 4.75: You have, mostly, presented the arguments in the readings correctly, but your essay lacks an original argument or contains a logical aw (gap in argumenta%on, unclear use of concepts, etc.)

Basic Issues in the Past


Comprehension and/or presenta%on of arguments taken from readings is ohen problema%c. Summarizing instead of original argumenta%on. Argumenta%on unclear or implicit:
Overly general and abstract syntax Logical gaps/ lack of substan%a%on Implicit Arguments

How to avoid these problems


Dissec/ng the Ques/on
Carefully unpack the ques%ons
Core words: What? Explain! How? Discuss. Address THESE CLEARLY IN YOUR PAPER, they tell you how to answer!

Clearly explain how your argument relates to the ques9on:


No generali*es: lis*ng pros/cons Do not presuppose key terms, even those in the ques*on- e.g. legi*macy!- carefully explain how you are using them.

How to avoid these problems


Comprehension of Readings
Comprehension and engagement of the arguments in the reading is a key factor for your grade. Do not akribute your own interpreta%ons to the readings without jus%ca%on, do not take sides too easily. Do not just read, read and write: make notes as you read, and then reread before wri%ng your essay!

How to avoid these problems


Comprehension of Readings 2
Aher reading, summarize the texts key points in your own words: The structure/logical steps of the argument- which steps, if aRacked successfully, would undermine it? How does the evidence used in the paper substan%ate that argument- what could invalidate the argument empirically? Dierences in concepts between authors?

How to avoid these problems


Summarizing vs. Original Argument

Do not summarize, ever!


Explain your own contribu%on and use points from the readings to further this argument. If you need to explain an argument/concept discussed heavily in the reading in some detail, you have to explain why this is important for your own argument. Do not leave it ambiguous. E.g.: Bernstein & Cashore argue that NSMD systems can gain socially embedded legi%macy but, as Mgge makes clear empirically, this argument rests on a problema%c depoli%ciza%on of the no%on of legi%macy.

How to avoid these problems


Summarizing vs. Original Argument 2 Prac%cally:
Make a plan, all good essays have a clear structure through which the argument ows. Jot down your argument rst in two sentences! Sketch the argument structure and note how the arguments in each readings t into this structure, or not. Do not use long quota%ons, the word limit is too short. Embed quota%ons Use words, your own and others, economically

Developing your own argument


Bases on which to argue [ques/on directed]: Cri9que: These arguments are wrong Contradic9on: There is confusion in the literature Lacunae: Something is missing in the literature Solu9on(s): We might solve the above issues by A good essay will have more than one of these.

Part 2 Discussion of Distributed Papers

Mgge / Bernstein & Cashore Papers Parsing Concepts, Following Arguments


Why these papers? Essay Warning! Legi/macy: A complicated, contradictory concept, without a consensus deni%on. How you use a concept aects your applica%on. The essays speak to each other in a way (check bibliographies!).

Why is leg/macy a problem, today?

Why legi/macy?

What is Legi/macy in the ar/cles?

How can Mgge be seen to be cri/cal of the other ar/cles argument regarding legi/macy?

Part 3 Annota/ng Example Essays

Example Essays
Best essays from last year. Very dierent ques%ons. But same purpose/logic. Will be posted online.

Example Student Essay Annota/on


Introduc/on: - Contextualizing Claim - Situa%ng Conceptually - Immediate, clear, deni%on of thesis. - Plan of essay to come. Main Sec/on 1: - Begins with sec%on intro - Uses argumenta%ve paraphrases - Has a sub-thesis statement rela%ng to process - Concepts are further unpacked (Soh Law) - Suppor%ng empirical paragraph follows - Sec%on-specic conceptual conclusion

Example Student Essay Annota/on 2


Bridging Paragraph: - Explicit! - Linking words (nevertheless) - Indicates movement from process to structure. Serves as the intro for the next sec%on. Main Sec/on 2: - Dissects assump%ons to introduce the sec%on. - Uses Empirics to cri%que these assump%ons: an empirical cri/que. - Links this empirical cri/que to alterna%ve conceptual perspec/ves. - Detailed examples of poli%cs + power limi%ng CSOs. - Cri%ques the lack of appropriate concepts for voluntary in9a9ves. - Good words: crucial to understand, likewise, furthermore, hence - No hyperbole.

Example Student Essay Annota/on 2


Conclusion: - Rear%culates the preceding argument in short. - Uses new embedded quotes. - Balances its claims. - Ends on a quote: can be nice.

~5.5

Good Luck with the First Essay!

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