Essay Writing Booklet

ESSAY WRITING For the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Academic essay writing is persuasive. This booklet provides strategies you can use to You are expected to take a position and help refine, structure and present your position and argument throughout a written essay. The present an argument in order to convince following diagram outlines the essay writing the reader of your views. Arguing for a process as it is presented in this booklet. position goes beyond simple description The principles of persuasive writing presented here or the presentation of a series of facts. apply to most forms of academic writing and can It means understanding the question, be adapted to all disciplines. engaging with the debate and using A position refers to taking a stance evidence critically. on a question or an issue. An argument is a list of reasons, supported by evidence, that are used to persuade readers of that position. Find and develop your argument Break down the question Structure THESIS STATEMENT Take a position within the Make an debate essay plan Research Write your Develop your essay reasons Edit your Plan and write your essay essay UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION Understand the question THE KOORI COURT The first step in writing an essay is to understand the An essay question question or task. Regardless of its wording, you should assume that you are required to take a position and Consider the following essay question: present an argument. In Victoria, Indigenous Australians who plead guilty to some offences can choose to be One way to break down the question is to look at sentenced by the Koori Court rather than its main ideas. How do they link to the key themes, the Magistrates Court. The purpose of these concepts and theories you have been studying in Koori courts is to make the legal system less your course? This contextual information helps you to alienating and more culturally appropriate formulate your position and argument in reference to for Aboriginal communities. Is there a place the course objectives. for programs such as the Koori Court in the Australian legal system? Should there be The Koori Court topic used throughout this courts for other groups in our society? booklet may not be relevant to you or your courses. However, if you take your time to This essay question actually asks you two separate questions. The first is whether there is work through the example, it should become a place for the Koori Court in Australia. The easier for you to apply these strategies to second is whether this should be extended to your own essays. other groups. The beauty of an essay at university is that you can There are a number of positions you could take in take any position and present any argument, so long answer to this question. For example: as it is reasonable, logical and supported by suitable > Yes, there is a place for the Koori Court and it and relevant evidence. should be extended to other groups. > Yes, there is a place for the Koori Court but it Naturally, there may be a viewpoint that you agree should not be extended to other groups. with early on, perhaps not long after you first read the > No, there is no place for specialist programs question. However, you may not be able to take a such as the Koori Court (the argument against strong position supported by evidence until you spend extension would be therefore assumed). more time engaging with the debate. However, it is also possible to take a more The way the essay question is worded can nuanced approach to answering this question, provide many clues as to how you should such as: proceed. Close reading of the question and The Koori Court should be limited to youth and referring back to it throughout the essay first offenders. This model should be extended writing process is critical to ensuring that more broadly to these groups. you are answering it properly. 2 Essay writing UNDERSTAND THE DEBATE Understand the debate > Judicious highlighting can help to identify key ideas when you return to a reading. In order to be persuasive, you need to be familiar with > Have a systematic approach to your notetaking. For all sides of the debate, not just that which supports example, you may like to make margin notes while your view. reading then rewrite or summarise them in a new There are likely to be many viewpoints on any given document. topic within the academic literature. To become familiar Remember that the research process is cyclical, with the arguments made by those on both (or multiple) meaning that you may return to your position and the sides of a debate, you need to carry out research. readings many times before you feel that you have a Reading is central to research. Reading widely clear argument. helps you to find information about what is currently known about the topic. It helps you to understand its Develop your reasons background context and underlying theories. It also At this point you should develop the reasons in support shows you the varied lines of argument that exist. of your position. Evidence is central to showing The research process helps you to refine and that your reasons are legitimate. Your argument is strengthen your own position. strengthened when it is supported by evidence that you have interpreted critically. Research strategies Think about arguments that could be made against > Research and read with a purpose. Seek out your position. How could you rebut them? What information that answers a specific question you evidence from the research could you use to support have. For example, you may ask yourself, ‘I want your view? Presenting counterarguments and rebutting to understand this theory more’ or ‘I want to know them helps to strengthen your position. more about the historical context.’ This will help to A brainstorm or mind-map may help you to come up focus each stage of your literature search and make with your reasons. Brainstorming helps link main ideas, the process more manageable. The questions you group ideas together and eliminate those that may be ask will change as you progress. irrelevant. It can help you to identify the main themes > Look for evidence in the readings that you think may and the points you are going to make. This can be support your position. Engage with evidence that useful when you come to structure your essay. you think contradicts your position. The following diagram shows how a brainstorm > Read strategically at the early stages of research. may look for the Koori Court essay question. After This means skimming rather than reading brainstorming, you may like to convert your diagram entire journal articles or chapters. For example, into a list of reasons. If brainstorming does not appeal read the abstract, introduction, conclusion and to you, you may prefer to start with a simple list of topic sentences of a journal article. Later on, your ideas. you can return to key readings and re-read them in-depth. Academic Skills and Learning Centre 3 WRITE A THESIS STATEMENT Write a thesis statement THE KOORI COURT Possible arguments As you research, you will likely have many ideas and a lot of evidence you think may be relevant to Research indicates the following arguments for your argument. It is common for arguments to be and against the Koori Court: overwhelmed by the detail at this stage. Sometimes Possible arguments for arguments try to cover too much and lose focus, becoming ambiguous and vague. 1. Indigenous Australians are the most disadvantaged group and there is an urgent As difficult as it may be, you need to produce a need to address this concise summary of your position and its supporting 2. The Koori Court addresses the power argument. Sometimes you will hear this referred to as imbalance between the legal system and a ‘thesis statement’. It states your position and your Indigenous Australians argument in a few sentences. Every essay needs a a. Refer to the ‘Royal Commission into clear thesis statement, and it is usually presented in Aboriginal Deaths in Custody’ and ‘Bringing the introduction. them Home’ reports 3. The Koori Court provides improved outcomes To clarify your thesis statement, think for both the offenders and the community about how you would explain your position a. Lower rates of recidivism and argument to an educated non-expert, like a friend or family member, in only a b. Shaming offenders by Elders is more effective few sentences. than the prison system c. Encourages the offender to deal with Check that your thesis statement addresses all of underlying problems through rehabilitation the essay question. If not, go back and revise your d. Greater acceptance by the thesis statement. Remember to be as specific as you Aboriginal community can in your wording. There should be no ambiguity—if 4. Other specialist courts exist in Australia, there is, then the resulting essay may be unclear providing precedent for the Koori Court and confusing. a. Family Court (jurisdiction on the basis of kin relations) b. Industrial Relations Commission (jurisdiction on the basis of common interest) 5. The Koori Court model is relevant to other groups a. For example, socially or culturally disadvantaged b. Similar arguments can be made Possible arguments against 1. The sacrifice of rights by offenders further disadvantages Indigenous Australians a. The role of the offender’s solicitor is marginalised b. A move from formal processes may threaten the impartiality of outcomes 2. The Koori Court undermines the notion that justice is blind and all people are equal a.

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