STUDY SKILLS SHARON CULLEN

RECAP TACKLING THE ESSAY GREAT INTRODUCTIONS GREAT CONCLUSIONS HARVARD REFERENCING

FROM THE OUTSET Remember: Marks are awarded according to the style of thought on display (see outline of marking criteria). Your mission is to identify, explain and deliver a direct and clear answer to the question. Your mission is to identify, explain and deliver a clear line of argument. Being well-organized is the key to success There are no short cuts to success – if you want to be rewarded with high marks, you must commit lengths of quality time to planning and writing your essay

Some questions you should be asking What is this? When was this? Where is this? Why is this the case? Why does this matter? Who is this? Who believes this? What is the evidence for this? How should we define this? How is the possible? How is this conceivable? How does this take place? How can/should this be researched? How can/should this be analysed? What is sociologically at stake here?

Compare how social order is maintained from a functionalist and Marxist perspective WRITE YOUR INTRODUCTION TO THIS ESSAY (3 MINUTES)

GREAT INTRODUCTIONS COME IN 3 PARTS 1. A statement of the issues at stake, in light of the question 2. A clear statement of YOUR argument 3. An outline of the structure and design of the essay

1. A statement on the issues at stake For example…. Social order is…… The maintenance of social order is much debated…….. theories from functionalist and Marxist perspectives……it has inspired a great deal of sociological research. For example, ….consider this…… There is some debate to be had, however, over the precise ways in which functionalism justifies social order… It is also the case that we might question the extent to which functionalism is flawed because it does not address causes of conflict in society…(50-100 words)

A clear statement of argument.2. This essay will argue that in his theory on values and consensus, Durkheim aimed to……Yet… It will further argue that Marxism…. In this a particular focus will be brought to….It will contend that the contradictory view lies in … Feminism is ignored(50-100 words)

3. An outline of the structure and design of the essay. In the first section I outline some of the ways in which social order is defined and developed from both functionalism and Marxism perspectives…. In the second section I explore Marx’s aims and objectives, comparing his theory to those of Durkheim and Talcott-Parsons. Here I will focus on… The third section of the essay offers a critical assessment of both theories on social order by…..” (50-100 words)

Have a go together Compare how social order is maintained from a functionalist and Marxist perspective 1. State the issue 2. State your argument 3. Tell the reader the structure of your essay (table task)

3 PARTS TO A GREAT CONCLUSION A paragraph explaining what you have done . This essay has explored social order and how this is achieved. In the opening section…etc.. (50-100 words) A restatement of the argument… This paper argues that… (50-100 words) A brief outline of the possible implications of your argument and the questions that might be raised from here. Eg. further exploring feminism (50-100 words)

YOU SHOULD Always write as you read so as to rehearse ways of presenting ideas – REMEMBER: writing engages you in thinking Only include material that is relevant for the task set by the question (eg. do not write things like ‘Emile Durkheim was a French sociologist…’) After you have a good collection of relevant notes, begin writing your introduction so that you can start to think through how the essay will work Be prepared to develop your thoughts as you write Revise and if necessary re-write your introduction at the end of the first draft of the essay so that it reflects the development of your thoughts about the issues you have raised Leave yourself plenty of time to write the essay (2 weeks) - you need plenty of time to: digest your reading, develop your thoughts Design the essay Rehearse the presentation of your ideas and arguments in writing

YOU SHOULD NOT Do not panic at the first encounter with difficulty - it is not supposed to be easy – you learn through difficulties Do not rush the process of thinking and writing and you most definitely should not leave starting your essay to a couple of days before the deadline. Do not write the essay at the same time as you are learning about the subject for the first time – Only write when you have collected together a good body of relevant notes.

REFERENCING Include plenty of references to support knowledge claims. Use references to add value and depth to your points of analysis and argument. Use academic articles as a guide to frequency of referencing

Harvard Referencing . . . . . : , ( ) Sociology A Giddens Polity Press 6th Cambridge 2009 ed

EASY!! Giddens, A. (2009). Sociology. 6th ed. Cambridge: Polity Press.

IN TEXT REFERENCING Sociology is the best subject to study (Cullen, 2015). A relatively new science, it is paramount to understanding the new world (Giddens, 2009). ‘Perhaps studying sociology seems difficult, but it attempts to make sense of the fast evolving social world in which we live’ (Giddens, 2009. p 156).

EVEN EASIER…. WORD PROGRAM BUILT IN…