ACADEMIC ARGUMENT

TOIVO PILLI

„INEXPERIENCED WRITERS SOMETIMES THINK STRUGGLING WITH AN ESSAY IS A SIGN THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG, THAT THEY HAVE A

DEFECTIVE INTELLIGENCE, THAT OTHER PEOPLE PLAY ON LAPTOP KEYBOARDS AS IF THEY’RE CONCERT

PIANISTS. BUT IF YOU FIND WRITING HARD, ALL I CAN SAY IS: WELCOME TO THE CLUB!“ (JIM CULLEN)

ARGUMENT BEGINS WITH GOOD QUESTIONS

• OPEN ENDED – ANSWERABLE IN MORE THAN ONE WAY

• INVITES CONSIDERATION OF BROADER ISSUES

• IS ANSWERABLE – THE PROBLEM NOT TOO TRIVIAL OR

VAGUE OR NARROW

QUESTIONING GOES ALL THROUGH YOUR WRITING, THE

RESEARCH QUESTION SHOWS THE WAY

ANALYSIS AND ARGUMENT

ANALYSIS IS MAKING SENSE OF DATA AND TEXTS

„FACTS ARE BEING USED; DESCRIPTION IS BEING FILTERED; OPINIONS ARE BEING DEFINED AND

JUSTIFIED.“

ACADEMIC ARGUMENT? – NO!

FOR DISCUSSION: WHAT WE ACTUALLY DO WHEN WE CONSTRUCT AN ACADEMIC ARGUMENT?

„AN ACADEMIC ARGUMENT IS AN EVIDENCE-BASED DEFENSE OF A NON-OBVIOUS POSITION ON

A COMPLEX ISSUE.“

QUESTION + THESIS + MOTIVE = ARGUMENT

TOOLS FOR BUILDING AN ARGUMENT

• EVALUATION OF EVIDENCE / SOURCES

• COMPARSION

• CONTEXTUALISATION

• CAUSATION

• SHOWING CONTINUITY AND CHANGE OVER TIME

• INTERPRETATION

• PERIODISATION

• ...

STRUCTURE OF AN ARGUMENT

STRUCTURE OF AN ARGUMENT

INTRODUCTION

• INTROCUCES THE ARGUMENT IN A CONCISE WAY – PROBLEM

(QUESTION), THESIS, AND MOTIVE (SIGNIFICANCE)

• ATTRACTS READER’S ATTENTION

• EXPLAINS METHOD – HOW YOU APPROACH YOUR MATERIAL AND

BUILD YOUR ARGUMENT

• SOMETIMES EXPLAINS KEY WORDS OR TERMINOLOGY

BODY OF ARGUMENT

• ELABORATES AND SUPPORTS YOUR ARGUMENT

• PAY ATTENTION TO PARAGRAPHS – TOPIC SENTENCES, EVIDENCE, TRANSITIONS

• KEEP IN MIND: EVIDENCE AND COUNTER-EVIDENCE, COUNTER-ARGUMENTS

• DEVELOP EXPOSITION – YOUR OWN EXPLANATIONS AND ANALYSIS AND LINKS THAT

CONNECT VARIOUS EVIDENCE AND IDEAS

• LOOK AT WIDER CONTEXT – PARAGRAPH, CHAPTER IS NEVER ALONE

CONCLUSION

• SUMMARISES THE MAIN CONCLUSIONS, BUT IS NOT A SHORTENED VERSION OF THE ARTICLE

OR CHAPTER

• SUGGESTS WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE ARGUMENT THAT THE AUTHOR HAS BEEN

CONSTRUCTING

• EMPHASISES WHY IT REALLY MATTERS WHAT HAS BEEN WRITTEN

„CONCLUSION IS THE HOME OF THE MOTIVE OF AN ARTICLE OR CHAPTER“

POLISH, REVISE, RE-WRITE – IMPROVE YOUR ARGUMENT