The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

1. Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

2. What Is The Purpose of the Academic Essay? The word “essay” is derived from the Latin verb “exigere”, which means to: • Examine • Test • Drive out • Given this definition, what could the purpose of an essay be?

3. Other Purposes • Discover knowledge • Make a point • Persuade the reader • Share information • Synthesize Information • Analyze a topic • Document your observations • All of the above

4. Think of Writing as a Step-by-Step Process • Read and Research • Brainstorm Ideas • Develop a Working Thesis and Outline • Write a Rough Draft • Review for Content • Revise Rough Draft • Review for Grammar and Mechanics • Revise Second Draft • Continue Reviewing and Revising as Needed

5. Where Do I Get Ideas To Write About? • Read texts related to your topic • Use brainstorming techniques like: • Listing ideas • Clustering or mind mapping • Free writing • Discuss the issue with others • Research the topic

6. Reading a Text Compare these two images about Japanese Concentration camps during World War II. The first is by American photographer Ansel Adams. The second is a cartoon by Theodore “Dr. Seuss” Geisel.

7. Contrasting the Two Texts • Ansel Adams • Uses photograph • Creates sympathy • Documents history • Subtle • Politically motivated • Captures humanity • Shows us the suffering • Emphasizes helplessness • Focused on the individual • Dr. Seuss • Uses cartoon • Stirs animosity • Caricature of sentiments • Exaggerated • Politically motivated • Uses stereotypes • Makes characters look happy • Emphasizes danger to Japanese • Focused on the larger view

8. Brain Storming • Sometimes writers work in reverse order. • Determine the facts/ ideas. • Support them with evidence. • Comments about the significance of evidence. • Sometimes once the writer knows his/her points to be made, then s/he develops a thesis statement. • Next develops the introduction and conclusion. • And revises to include transitional sentences and connection to the thesis in each paragraph.

9. Clustering • Write your main point in the center of the page and circle it • As ideas come to you, branch off from the main point • Think of the cluster as a tree, each idea branching off a previous idea • Do not censor or edit yourself

10. Cluster Example

11. Develop a Working Thesis • A thesis comes at the end of the introduction section of your paper • It lets the reader know exactly what overall point you are trying to make • It should be specific, not general • It can be used by the reader and the writer as a road map for the rest of the paper • It is not fixed; it can and should evolve as your ideas evolve • What you present in the paper should not deviate from what you promise in the thesis • Establishes expectations

12. Thesis Examples • Dr. Seuss’ caricature of Japanese in California cartoons during World War II depicts Japanese Americans in a stereotypical way demonstrating the fears of the American public during a time of war, and focuses on the broad, generalized issues of the situation rather than the individual circumstances of the people involved.

13. Developing an Outline • Once you establish a thesis, use it to help you develop an outline of the paper • An outline will: • Help you organize your ideas • Keep you focused • Save time • For every main point, you’ll need several supporting details

14. Outline Example • Thesis • Main Point • Supporting Point • Detail • Detail • Supporting Point • Detail • Detail • Main Point • Supporting Point • Detail • Detail • Supporting Point • Detail • Detail • Supporting Point • Detail • Detail • Main Point • Supporting Point • Detail • Detail • Supporting Point • Detail • Detail • Conclusion

15. Writing the Rough Draft • Now that you have a thesis and outline, you may begin writing your rough draft. • As you write this rough draft, keep the following strategies in mind: • Organize information in your body paragraphs • Hook the reader in the introduction • Keep your paper coherent with transition words and sentences • Wrap up your paper with a strong closing • Utilize academic writing conventions • Follow the writing process

16. Introductions • The purpose of the introduction paragraph is to: • Hook the reader • Contextualize your argument or topic • Provide necessary background information about the topic

17. Strategies to Hook the Reader • Ask a question • Tell a story • Use a quote • Provide interesting statistics • Share an anecdote • Make a provocative statement

18. Give Context in the Introduction • What does the reader need to know to understand this paper? • Historical background • Issues relating to the topic • Important authors and texts you will be referring to • Cultural issues • Why this topic is important or relevant

19. Start Your Body Paragraphs with Clear Topic Sentences A topic sentence: • Comes at the beginning of a paragraph • Presents the most important point you want to make in that paragraph • Is specific (or not so broad it would require a full essay to explore)

20. Use Compelling Supporting Points to Support Your Topic Sentence • Supporting points are examples or pieces of evidence that support the claim you have made in your topic sentence. • They can be: • Facts • Examples • Anecdotes (Stories) • Expert Testimony • Quotes • Observations • Statistics

21. Make Sure to Elaborate with Concrete Details • Once you have listed your supporting points, you can now elaborate on them by adding details or explaining what you mean further.

22. Example Topic Sentence: Dr. Seuss emphasized the danger posed by Japanese Americans during World War II. Main Point: His pictures show a parade of smiling Japanese marching down the West Coast collecting explosives. Detail: Each box of TNT these cartoon characters carry plays on the often-irrational fears Americans felt toward Japanese Americans after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

23. An Alternative: Using the PIE Formula • Another useful strategy to organize information is to use the PIE formula • PIE • P = Point = The main point you want to make • I = Illustration = A quote or paraphrase from the text • E = Explanation = Your explanation about what the quote or paraphrase means

24. Use Transitions to Create Coherence • Use transition words or sentences to bridge ideas so the reader does not get confused • First • Second • In addition • Nevertheless • In contrast • Furthermore • Therefore • Etc.

25. Strategies for a Conclusion • Re-state your thesis statement in a different way. • Make a strong closing comment. • Leave the reader with a closing thought.

26. Academic Conventions: Things to Avoid • Avoid using personal pronouns like “I”, “We”, and “You”. • Avoid not use contractions like “isn’t”, “they’re”, “wasn’t”, etc. • Avoid slang • Avoid a personal tone • Avoid vague ideas • Avoid plagiarism

27. Academic Conventions: Things to Do • Do address both sides of an argument • Do cite your sources • Do use a formal tone • Do take a stand • Do use concrete details • Do give yourself time to develop your paper

28. Remember, Writing is a Process • Every writing assignment is practice for the next one • Writing takes time • Go through every step of the process • Focus on your ideas first • Focus on grammar and spelling last • Get feedback from a peer, instructor, or tutor