Disciplining Your Voice

Advanced Writing

Essay: Disciplining Your Voice

This prompt requires the highest level of research, analysis and argumentation. Your audience this time is composed of academics.

Readings:
At least eight sources, four scholarly secondary sources (peer-reviewed).

Background: The journal constitutes one very significant medium for the discussion of issues crucial to your field. In journals we find scholarly articles which feature new research, orginal interpretations and ongoing conversations. Before beginning this assignment, you should familiarize yourself with the journals and academic books from your discipline. You can find peer reviewed journal articles and books by starting your search in the library, and then selecting from the categorized results below.

Writing Task: In a thesis driven essay of 2700–3300 words address the following:

Form an original, intriguing argument concerning a topic related to your discipline that would interest a scholarly audience focused on this subject matter.

Remember this paper must be substantially different from any essays you have written for other courses.

Sources: You must incorporate at least eight sources, at least four scholarly secondary sources (peer-reviewed journal articles and books) in this essay. There is no source limit. Your other sources may be a primary or secondary, scholarly or not. You must use the MLA citation system and have a Works Cited page.

A Requirement: You need to signal that your essay offers an original contribution to the scholarly conversation on your topic. Make your originality evident to your audience through a comprehensive review of literature (it doesn’t have to be long).

Tips

1. For this essay, you’re asked to support an original claim that will interest a scholarly audience that focuses on your topic as part of their scholarly practice.

2. Integrate your sources and other evidence smoothly to support your claim (or offer a counterpoint, or background). Paraphrase is often preferable to quotation, although well-selected quotations can be effective additions to your piece.

3. Don’t structure along the lines of the five-paragraph essay. That is, don’t list reasons or benefits or areas to consider. Make sure that the parts of your argument are connected by a logical chain as indicated by the logic of your thesis.

4. Don’t hop from source to source, paragraph by paragraph. Your essay should not read like a review of literature. As I mention above, paragraphs should be logically connected and not used to introduce one source after another. Allow your voice and your argument to command the essay.

5. Don’t offer sections, with headings. Write one coherent piece.

6. Don’t plagiarize; use MLA appropriately.