Introduction to essay

writing
Dr Claudine Provencher
Why only an attempt to answer?
essay from latin exagium (to
examine, to weigh, to judge)
This is because accounting for human
behaviour is hard
The correct answer at the LSE is
always Its complex, it depends on
Why are you wearing the
socks you are wearing today?
Different explanations are possible and equally valid:
Physical necessity / comfort
Culture / gender representations / identity
Social psychological theories

None of the research methods available will produce

absolute knowledge:
Interviews: honesty?
Questionnaires: sample bias, social desirability
Writing in the social sciences
Given the complexity and limits of knowing
Writing is making an argument on the basis of the
evidence available
These arguments reflect multiple causal
influences; there is almost never one sole cause
Writing is qualified seems / appears / suggests
Writing integrates theory and empirical evidence
Writing at LSE

A game called essay:

Show you can think: answer the question,
show judgement (critical from kritos
judge)
Show you have read: integration of
literature
Show real world knowledge: illustration
What is criticality?
Academic study involves reading particular sources and writing in a
particular way, which requires thinking in a particular way

Mainly done through questioning your readings and the material

covered in your lectures

Typical questions will include:

Expertise question: How credible is expert E?
Field question: Is E an expert in the field A is in?
Opinion question: What did expert E assert that implies A?
Trustworthiness question: Is E personally reliable as a source?
Consistency question: Is A consistent with what other experts assert?
Backup evidence question: Is As assertion based on evidence?
How to approach this form of
writing/thinking
Analyse the question
Plan a reasoned argument
Read, review the plan, write
Review the strength of your argument
Analyse the question
Answering a question first requires you to analyse
the question
Non-monetary measures of poverty are better than monetary
measures. Do you agree?

The correct essay answer at the LSE is it

depends / its complex. Any statement that is
absolute, as this is, should be questioned
What questions could you ask from this question?
Analyse the question
Non-monetary measures of poverty are better than monetary measures.
Do you agree?

What are monetary and non-monetary measures?

How and why are they used?
How will I define poverty?
How will I define better?
For measuring poverty
For guiding policy making

One possible answer: Since poverty is multi-dimensional, a

multi-dimensional approach to its measurement seems
appropriate. Monetary and non-monetary measures are thus
complementary.
How to approach this form of
writing/thinking
Analyse the question
Plan a reasoned argument
Read, review the plan, write
Review the strength of your argument
Plan a reasoned argument
Win the game called essay through
Thesis state the main idea / your opinion
Justification explain your reasons / convince
the reader as informed by literature
Support back your reasons up with
evidence
Thesis
Provides the spine of your essay
Introduction: your answer and argument
First sentences: the idea each paragraph
will argue
The rest of each paragraph argues for the idea
in the first sentence (justification + support)
Conclusion: your argument and answer (+
so what?)
Thesis - Introduction
Establish the context why is the question important?
Clarify / reframe the question if needed but beware!
Set the limits of your essay
Answer the question your thesis
Give the reasons for your answer these reasons will
be the paragraphs, so follow the same order
(signposting)
Thesis Development
In this model, the first line sentence of each
paragraph gives the topic and the main idea of the
paragraph. Good practice is to
Ensure all topic sentences directly address the question /
forward your argument
That the topic sentence is you not Habermas argues
that
Keep topic sentences clear (+ probably short)
Thesis - Conclusion
Summarise the argument
Restate your answer (sense of
therefore)
So what?
Justification
The justification of your thesis is the
place where you demonstrate your
reading and grasp of the discipline
Therefore:
include a range of references
concentrate on the detail of the differences
between positions / schools of thought
Planning a reasoned argument
Non-monetary measures of poverty are better
than monetary measures. Do you agree?

Poverty is complex income / human development approaches

Non-monetary measures may capture less tangible aspects
(participation, social capital, etc.), but income is an essential
element of human development and autonomy approaches to
poverty
Monetary measures capture income and consumption aspects of
poverty, but the struggle to contextualise these, e.g. within
households / may create arbitrary divisions between the poor
Case HPI combines income and development indicators to
provide a more holistic measure, but limitations remain (reporting)
Introduction
The complexity involved in measuring poverty is derived from
the inherent complexity of the concept itself. Definitions
current in academia and government point to both monetary
and more social aspects of poverty, with the latter typically
captured by non-monetary measures, such as literacy rates
and life expectancy figures. Given the interaction between
income and individual capacity, measuring poverty would
seem to require mixed methods approaches that allow for a
more holistic understanding of the phenomenon. Relying on a
purely non-monetary measure will offer just as partial a set of
results as just relying on purely monetary measures. While not
perfect, the UNDPs Human Poverty Index represents such a
multi-dimensional measure.
Topic sentences

1. Poverty is inherently complex. This has inescapable
consequences for its measurement.

2. While non-monetary measures may capture important aspects

of human capability, an understanding of poverty that does not
also measure income is necessarily partial.

3. Monetary measures address these shortcomings, however

they themselves suffer from the inability to contextualise the
consumption they measure.

4. A more satisfactory approach appears to be to combine

monetary and non-monetary measures, as the UNDP does
with the Human Poverty Index.
Conclusion
The case for a multi-dimensional approach to the measurement of
poverty appears clear. Central to this is the simple fit between a multi-
dimensional social phenomenon and the measures used to investigate
its incidence, causes and solutions. The implementation of such an
approach to measuring poverty remains though far from simple. Taking
the case of the HPI, significant choices are required in the setting and
use of each indicator. Literacy may, at first sight, appear a
straightforward ability to measure. However, the interaction between
contextual language use and overall competence is uneven and which
level to set as the benchmark is problematic. At very least, such a
choice requires considerable judgement and this will depend greatly on
the approach to poverty taken and political considerations affecting
alleviation efforts. This, though, brings us back to the basic problem of
the inherently complex nature of poverty itself.
How to approach this form of
writing/thinking
Analyse the question
Plan a reasoned argument
Read, review the plan, write
Review the strength of your argument
Reviewing the strength of an
argument
Aristotelian rhetoric reasoning involves
three proofs (pisteis):
Ethos: credibility of message and sender

Pathos: empathy, appeal to readers

interests
Logos: internal logic, flow of argument
Good academic writing
Ethos (credibility)
Form of argument balanced and informed

Writers voice / perspective indirect,

detailed and specific

Recourse to appropriate sources / detailed

examples and cases

Disciplinary / formal language

Good academic writing
Pathos (effect on your reader)
Originality of thought, comparison or
expression
Reference to key questions / debates /
questions showing wider understanding
Clarity and completeness of argument
New information / analysis relevant to the
readers interests
Good academic writing
Logos (logic and flow)
Answer the question

Structure and form of the argument

Clarity of basic plan + specificity of support

for the points made

Flow of argument (narrative + links)

Conclusion
The correct answer is its complex, it depends
on
Know why you are writing demonstrate
judgement
Analyse the question and answer it
Plan your reasoning and evidence to support this
answer
Read to develop your plan, dont read to make a plan
Review your argument is it convincing?
Plagiarism
LSE statement
Work submitted by a candidate for assessment
must be his/her own alone. The passing off of the
work of others as the work of the candidate is
plagiarism. It refers to any work by others, whether
published or not, and can include the work of
other candidates. Any quotation from the published
or unpublished works of other persons including
other candidates must be duly acknowledged.
Plagiarism includes:
Quoting without quotation marks or references
Paraphrasing without referencing
Summarising without referencing
Taking an image, source, diagram without referencing
Collaborating on what should be individual work
Taking another students ideas and passing them off as
your own
Re-cycling your own work which has been submitted for
assessment elsewhere
LSE penalties for plagiarism
Record placed on file (esp. for coursework)
Mark of zero on particular piece of work
Mark of zero on complete paper (awarded in 50% of cases)
Mark of zero for ALL papers that year
Denying right of candidate to re-register.
JISC plagiarism advice and detection service

LSE uses TURNITIN.COM similarity index and checks work against:

A database of previously submitted material (i.e. other students
essays and assignments)
Over 1.8 billion web-sites
Essays from cheat sites
Selected subscription services
Disciplinary context is key!
Department of Social Psychology

Distinction (70 100):

Work of exceptional quality, demonstrating a high level of conceptual ability and a thorough
and consistent approach typically, excellent critical judgement, presentation and content.
It is distinguished by a pattern of:
A thorough understanding of the topic and its implications
A clearly expressed and convincing argument which is used to develop a coherent and logical
framework within which to answer the question or address the topic, and which is well grounded in
existing theory and research
Excellent and appropriate grammar, punctuation, spelling and sentence construction.
Clear, and often imaginative, structure
Evidence of independent research or reading, going beyond lecture and seminar handouts.
The absence of irrelevant or extraneous material
An insightful argument showing signs of originality
(Where relevant) Skilled use of referencing and/or appropriate stylistic conventions (e.g., APA)
(Where relevant) Mastery of analytic techniques or research methods.
Department of International
History
7079%: Work which shows both broad and deep
knowledge of the historical evidence as well as
conceptual command of the subject matter, and
the ability - based on a close engagement with
the question and informed analysis of the
historical period and issues raised - to go beyond
paraphrasing the work of other scholars and
demonstrate some independent critical
discussion and insight.