Politics Student Mentors

Essay Writing Skills

Autumn 2009

A familiar feeling?

The first thing to remember…

• Don’t panic!

– Remember this is your first essay

– You’ll get a lot of feedback - don’t be worried – it’s all constructive, so take it on board

– Try your hardest…but don’t have sleepless nights!

Don’t do a Dara!!!

• ‘It's all themed lads, it's delicately themed, it's all about rules and laws and how I don't follow them.’ – Dara O’Briain

• There are basic rules & laws for essay writing – follow them!!!

Preparing for your essay

• Choose a question you’re interested in

• Read the question & understand what is required of you

• Don’t leave choosing your question, or finding your sources, until the last minute

Doing your research

• Go beyond the reading list

• Take down reference information as you go – it will save you time in the long run!

Planning your essay

• Brainstorm your ideas/plan your essay in a way that works best for you

• Send an essay plan to your tutor – but do this in plenty of time!

• Arrange to meet your tutor

• Think critically about what you read– Critical analysis is one of the major differences between sixth form and

university level essays

Starting to write your essayGroup exercise!

Is Nick Griffin’s recent appearance on Question Time

a victory for free speech?

Introduction

• Explain what your essay is going to do– Provide context– Define key terms in the question– Explain your interpretation of the question– Outline the structure of your essay– Imply what your conclusion will be

• Think of the introduction as a map of your essay – showing the route you’ll be taking and your final destination

Main body of your essay – developing your argument

• Point, Example, Analysis!

• Link each paragraph back to the question – It keeps you on track and stops waffling!

• Link each paragraph to the next– Just one sentence at the beginning/end of the

paragraph– Helps with essay flow & will strengthen your argument

Conclusion

• Don’t sit on the fence!– Like the group exercise above – questions are

often phrased to ensure you don’t!– It doesn’t matter which side you take – as long

as you can strongly argue your case

• Summary of the main body of your essay

• Don’t add any new arguments!

Avoid Bushisms!• Always proof read your

work…

• …it’s amazing how often you will read what you THINK you have written instead of what you actually have!

• Get someone else to read your essay

Referencing & bibliography

• Note down all referencing/bibliography information as you go

• Two main types of referencing systems in Politics– The Harvard System– The Cambridge System

Please email me if you want a copy of these slides

Any questions?

• Any questions that may arise in future…– Drop in sessions– Email – Facebook group

• Make use of the resources available to you – Mentors– Tutors– Course Handbook– Undergraduate Handbook– S3 website: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/s3– Infosuss: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/library/infosuss– RLF: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/tldu/1-4-11.html