What is an academic argument? An academic argument is your stance, your claim, or your take on your topic. This stance, claim, or take is your contribution to the current conversation on your topic and provides your readers with a position, perspective, and/or point of view on your topic. An academic argument is also based in the research, what we often call "evidence Author: Paul Lai · An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based blogger.comted Reading Time: 10 mins Overview of the Academic Essay. A clear sense of argument is essential to all forms of academic writing, for writing is thought made visible. Insights and ideas that occur to us when we encounter the raw material of the world—natural phenomena like the behavior of genes, or cultural phenomena, like texts, photographs and artifacts—must be ordered
Academic Argument Essay �� Oct
A clear sense of argument is essential to all forms of academic writing, academic argument essay, for writing is thought made visible, academic argument essay. Insights and ideas that occur to us when we encounter the raw material of the world—natural phenomena like the behavior of genes, or cultural phenomena, like texts, photographs and artifacts—must be ordered in some way so others can receive them and respond in turn. This give and take is at the heart of the scholarly enterprise, and makes possible that vast conversation known as civilization.
Like all human ventures, the conventions of the academic essay are both logical and playful. They may vary in expression from discipline to discipline, but any good essay should show us a mind developing a thesis, academic argument essay, supporting that thesis with evidence, deftly anticipating objections or counterarguments, and maintaining the momentum of discovery. Motive and Idea.
Academic argument essay essay has to have a purpose or motive; the mere existence of an assignment or deadline is not sufficient. When you write an essay or research paper, you are never simply transferring information from one place to another, or showing that you have mastered a certain amount of material. That would be incredibly boring—and besides, it would be adding to the glut of pointless utterance. Instead, you should be trying to make the best possible case for an original idea you have arrived at after a period of research.
Depending upon the field, academic argument essay research may involve reading and rereading a text, performing an experiment, or carefully observing an object or behavior. By immersing yourself in the material, academic argument essay, you begin to discover patterns and generate insights, guided by a series of unfolding questions. From a number academic argument essay possibilities, one idea emerges as the most promising.
You try to make sure it is original and of some importance; there academic argument essay no point arguing for something already known, trivial, or widely accepted. Thesis and Development. The essay's thesis is the main point you are trying to make, using the best evidence you can marshal.
Your thesis will evolve during the course of writing drafts, but everything that happens in your essay is directed toward establishing its validity.
A given assignment may not tell you that you need to come up with a thesis and defend it, but these are the unspoken requirements of any scholarly paper, academic argument essay. Deciding upon a thesis can generate considerable anxiety. Students may think, "How can I have a new idea about a subject scholars have spent their whole lives exploring? I just read a few books in the last few days, and now I'm supposed to be an expert?
We can't possibly know everything that has been, academic argument essay, or is being, thought or written by everyone in the world—even given the vastness and speed of the Internet.
What is required is academic argument essay rigorous, good faith effort to establish originality, given the demands of the assignment and the discipline. It is a good exercise throughout the writing process to stop periodically and reformulate your thesis as succinctly as possible so someone in another field could understand its meaning as well as its importance.
A thesis can be relatively complex, but you should be able to distill its essence. This does not mean you have to give the game away right from the start. Guided by a clear understanding of the point you academic argument essay to argue, you can spark your reader's curiosity by first asking questions—the very questions that may have guided you in your research—and carefully building a case for the validity of your idea.
Or you can start with a provocative observation, inviting your audience to follow your own path of discovery. The Tension of Argument.
Argument implies tension academic argument essay not combative fireworks. This tension comes from the fundamental asymmetry between the one who wishes to persuade and those who must be persuaded. The common ground they share is reason. Your objective is to make a case so that any reasonable person would be convinced of the reasonableness of your thesis.
The first task, even before you start to write, is gathering and ordering evidence, classifying it by kind and strength. You might decide to move from the smallest piece of evidence to the most impressive, academic argument essay. Or you might start with the most convincing, then mention other supporting details afterward. You could hold back a surprising piece of evidence until the very end. In any case, it is important to review evidence that could be used against your idea and generate responses to anticipated objections.
This is the crucial concept of counterargument. If nothing can be said against an idea, it is probably obvious or vacuous, academic argument essay. And if too much can be said against it, it's time for another thesis. By not indicating an awareness of possible objections, you might seem to be hiding something, and your argument will be weaker as a consequence. You should also become familiar with the various fallacies that can undermine an argument—the "straw man" fallacy, fallacies of causation and of analogy, etc.
The Structure of Argument, academic argument essay. The heart of the academic essay is persuasion, and the structure of your argument plays a vital role in this. To persuade, academic argument essay, you must set the stage, provide a context, and decide how to reveal your evidence, academic argument essay. Of course, if you are addressing a community of specialists, some aspects of a shared context can be taken for granted. But clarity is always a virtue. The essay's objective should be described swiftly, by posing a question that will lead to your thesis, or making a thesis statement.
There is considerable flexibility about when and where this happens, but within the first page or two, we should know where we are going, academic argument essay, even if some welcome suspense is preserved. In the body of the paper, merely listing evidence without any discernible logic of presentation is a common mistake. What might suffice in academic argument essay is too informal for an essay. If the point being made is lost in a welter of specifics, the argument falters.
The most common argumentative structure in English prose is deductive: starting off with a generalization or assertion, and then providing support for it. This pattern can be used to order a paragraph as well as an entire essay. Another possible structure is inductive: facts, instances or observations can be reviewed, and the conclusion to be drawn from them follows.
There is no blueprint for a successful essay; the best ones show us a focused mind making sense of some manageable aspect of the world, a mind where insightfulness, reason, and clarity are joined. CopyrightKathy Duffin, for the Writing Center at Harvard University.
Academic argument essay to main content. Main Menu Utility Menu Search. Harvard College Writing Program HARVARD. FAQ Schedule an appointment Writing Academic argument essay English Grammar and Language Tutor Departmental Writing Fellows Writing Resources Writing Advice: The Barker Underground Blog Contact Us, academic argument essay.
Motive and Idea An essay has to have a purpose or motive; the mere existence of an assignment or deadline is not sufficient, academic argument essay. Thesis and Development The essay's thesis is academic argument essay main point you are trying to make, using the best evidence you can marshal. The Tension of Argument Argument implies tension but not combative fireworks. The Structure of Argument The heart of the academic essay is persuasion, and the structure of your argument plays a vital role in academic argument essay. Writing Resources Strategies for Essay Writing How to Read an Assignment Moving from Assignment to Topic How to Do a Close Reading Overview of the Academic Essay Essay Structure Developing A Thesis Beginning the Academic Essay Outlining Counterargument Summary Topic Sentences and Signposting Transitioning: Beware of Velcro How to Write a Comparative Analysis Ending the Essay: Conclusions Revising the Draft Brief Guides to Writing in the Disciplines.
Quick Links Schedule an Appointment Drop-in Hours English Grammar and Language Tutor Departmental Writing Fellows Harvard Guide to Using Sources Follow HCWritingCenter. Copyright © The President and Fellows of Harvard College Accessibility Digital Accessibility Report Copyright Infringement, academic argument essay.
How to write an argument essay
, time: 8:03Overview of the Academic Essay |
What is an academic argument? An academic argument is your stance, your claim, or your take on your topic. This stance, claim, or take is your contribution to the current conversation on your topic and provides your readers with a position, perspective, and/or point of view on your topic. An academic argument is also based in the research, what we often call "evidence Author: Paul Lai · An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based blogger.comted Reading Time: 10 mins Overview of the Academic Essay. A clear sense of argument is essential to all forms of academic writing, for writing is thought made visible. Insights and ideas that occur to us when we encounter the raw material of the world—natural phenomena like the behavior of genes, or cultural phenomena, like texts, photographs and artifacts—must be ordered
No comments:
Post a Comment