Writing an Academic Essay

Where Do I Get Ideas To Write About?

• Read texts related to your topic
• Use brainstorming techniques like:
• Listing ideas
• Clustering or mind mapping
• Free writing
• Discuss the issue with others
• Research the topic

Reading a Text

Compare these two images about Japanese Concentration camps during World War II. The first is by American photographer Ansel Adams. The second is a cartoon by Theodore “Dr. Seuss” Geisel.

Contrasting the Two Texts

• Ansel Adams
• Uses photograph
• Creates sympathy
• Documents history
• Subtle
• Politically motivated
• Captures humanity
• Shows us the suffering
• Emphasizes helplessness
• Focused on the individual

• Dr. Seuss
• Uses cartoon
• Stirs animosity
• Used for propaganda
• Exaggerated
• Politically motivated
• Uses stereotypes
• Makes characters look happy
• Emphasizes danger
• Focused on the larger view

Clustering

• Write your main point in the center of the page and circle it
• As ideas come to you, branch off from the main point
• Think of the cluster as a tree, each idea branching off a previous idea
• Do not censor or edit yourself

Cluster Example

Develop a Working Thesis

• A thesis comes at the end of the introduction section of your paper
• It lets the reader know exactly what overall point you are trying to make
• It should be specific, not general
• It can be used by the reader and the writer as a road map for the rest of the paper
• It is not fixed; it can and should evolve as your ideas evolve
• What you present in the paper should not deviate from what you promise in the thesis
• Establishes expectations