Lecturer: Gareth Jones Class 14: Academic Essays

 Introduction-Body-Conclusion  Thesis Statement  Applying these concepts to business writing 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)2

 Lecture Material taken from:  html html  5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)3

 Academic essays are usually “thesis driven”  This means we must explain the main point of our essay at the start 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)4

 Think of your “thesis statement” as a “topic sentence” for your entire essay  Before beginning to write, you should already know what your thesis statement is 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)5

 Consider your thesis a very short summary of your essay, stated in the introduction. 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)6

 Should do three things: ◦ Show the purpose/topic of the essay ◦ Introduce the parts (body) of the essay ◦ Show your point of view 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)7

 Samples: ◦ “UK Universities should offer more scholarships to international students. This is because they have a greater desire to succeed in college and tend to work harder, than UK students.” 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)8

 Samples: ◦ “China needs to be a leader in the fight against global warming because of its size, its technology, and the influence it has on the rest of Asia.” 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)9

 Samples: ◦ “I think I am a perfect candidate for the banker job because I am hardworking, have many computer skills, and I have banking experience.” 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)10

 This type of thesis usually states the primary goal of the argument and then states the reasons or points you will make in the essay to support the argument. 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)11

 Every point that you make afterward must be related to the thesis statement. The rest of the essay must clarify or support your thesis. 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)12

 Following your thesis, the rest of your essay should “flow” naturally  For this it is useful to create an outline 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)13

 Part 1. Introduction (includes thesis and 3 points to be made)  Part 2. Point 1.  Part 3. Point 2.  Part 4. Point 3.  Part 5. Conclusion 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)14

 Create this outline, and add information to it during the planning process.  We can now think of the different parts of the essay, the introduction, the body, and the conclusion 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)15

 Should do three things: ◦ Show the purpose/topic of the essay ◦ Introduce the parts (body) of the essay ◦ Show your point of view 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)16

 Think of your introduction as having three parts. ◦ The opener ◦ The lead in ◦ The thesis statement 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)17

 The opener – the first sentence or your essay.  Needs to get the reader’s attention and introduce your topic.  We can do this in a variety of ways. 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)18

 Question: (What do you know about global warming?)  Statement: (Global warming is one the major problems facing the world today)  Quotation: (Al Gore calls global warming “the challenge of the 21st century”.  ETC. 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)19

 Lead in  2-3 sentences for your opening statement to “flow” into your thesis statement 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)20

 Thesis statement – the last sentence of your introduction  Shows your point of view and introduces the rest of your essay (body paragraphs) 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)21

 A typical academic essay will contain 3 body paragraphs  These must support our thesis with facts, evidence, and examples 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)22

 The more examples/facts we have, the more credibility we will gain 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)23

 Each body paragraph must support one individual topic from our thesis statement  Each body paragraph must begin with a TOPIC SENTENCE 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)24

 Each body paragraph must flow into the next one  We can achieve this by using transition words 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)25

 This transition can come at the beginning or end of the paragraph.  I recommend the beginning 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)26

 however, therefore, additionally, thus, also, like, for example, on the other hand, in conclusion, to add, another way, 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)27

 Structure ◦ Transition ◦ Topic Sentence ◦ Support/evidence/facts 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)28

 “In addition to working harder, international students also seem to graduate faster than their British counterparts.” 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)29

 “Although China’s size is important, an even more important factor in the fight against global warming is its advanced technology and infrastructure.” 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)30

 Follow this topic sentence with evidence, examples, and facts to support the topic sentence  Use transition ideas within the body to make it flow better 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)31

 “Besides being a very hardworking student, I am also very skilled with computers.” 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)32

 The conclusion must restate our main ideas without sounding too repetitive. This is difficult, but made easier with the following strategy. 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)33

 The conclusion should do 3 things ◦ Restate the thesis topic ◦ Lead out ◦ Concluding remark 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)34

 Begin by restating the thesis statement.  Don’t simply repeat it, make sure to change the wording.  Like our body paragraphs, we may begin with a transition word or phrase 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)35

 “In conclusion, our university should work harder to attract international students, because they have a greater desire to succeed, work harder, and graduate more quickly than UK students.” 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)36

◦ “Therefore, in this changing world, China must take the lead on global warming, not just because of its size, but also because of its technology and influence over other countries” 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)37

 “As you can see from my résumé and qualifications, my work ethic, computer skills, and banking experience make me an ideal candidate for this job” 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)38

 Lead out  2-3 sentences leading up to the final statement  May restate topics mentioned in the body paragraphs 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)39

 Concluding Remark  This is your final thought in your essay and must be strong, conclusive, and direct 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)40

 “The future is not located only in UK, and in order to grow and succeed, we must open our doors and invite our international brothers into our university.” 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)41

 “Global warming will not go away without a fight, and it is China’s duty to lead the world in the fight of this century.” 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)42

 “I believe I am the best person for this job, and if you talk to me in an interview I am sure you will agree.” 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)43

 Use this same structure for effective business writing.  As a class, we will investigate writing a persuasive request using the Academic Essay structure 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)44

 Introduction ◦ The opener ◦ The lead in ◦ The thesis statement 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)45

 Body ◦ Transition ◦ Topic Sentence ◦ Support/evidence/facts 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)46

 Conclusion ◦ Restate the thesis topic ◦ Lead out ◦ Concluding remark 5th January 2010Business Communication (BUS-101)47