Structure

As you gather your thoughts about the readings, it is good to have these key points in mind:

Plan

See the essay title (aka essay question) as a handy frame to narrow down the evidence you have collected in lectures and readings. Don’t start planning or writing right away – sit with the essay title (or titles), reflect on the relevant weeks’ classes, and see what themes stand out.

Anthropology titles tend to be in one of the following formats:

(1) ‘Interesting but possibly contentious quote.’ Discuss.

(2) Critically evaluate this argument (possibly associated with a well-known author or text).

(3) Why do you think X is the case?

Responding to the question

You may want to agree or disagree with the statement or question, or you may want to slightly modify the terms of the title in your discussion (though you must put it down correctly at the top of your essay).

You don’t have to answer yes/ no OR either / or (you could dispute the terms of the question).

You are not expected to have the ‘solution’ to long-standing debates and controversies.

Instead, show that you understand and have thought about the debates and can use evidence to back up your points.

Once you have read and re-read the essay question and considered the different ways it could be addressed, follow these general steps:

(1) Make a mind map - it often helps to do this with pen and paper, the messier the better! – and talk through your ideas with friends, mentors, or teachers.

(2) Gather your thoughts in a 'cleaner’ outline. This could be typed, stating the general argument and supporting points.

(3) Write a ‘shitty first draft’[1]. Do not worry if it’s much too long or too short.

(4) Refer to the essay title and guidance on essay structure (below). Think about what you might have skipped or places where your writing lost focus.

(5) Polish your essay. Look for repeated words or phrases. Make sure your paragraphs flow and your points are supported by (properly cited) evidence.

(6) Leave your essay for a day or two (if time allows), read it over once more, and submit!

[1] Lamott, A. 2005. Shitty First Drafts. In Language Awareness: Readings for College Writers P. Eschholz, A. Rosa & V. Clark(ed) , 93-96. (9th edition). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's.

The first part of the essay is your chance to explain why the topic is interesting and engaging. It is often best to write the Introduction after you have drafted the essay, once you are sure how the argument is going.

Find an exciting ‘hook’

If you are struggling to find an exciting ‘hook’, turn to your sources of inspiration! Did you hear or read something in the news that relates to the essay question? In what ways is the topic you have discussed relevant to people inside and outside of academia?

You could start with a brief example which leads to a question.

You could give a historical context.

Signpost your argument

You should provide the reader with a (brief) map for the rest of the essay –what it is about, and the basic argument you will make.

A bit of repetition can help clarify your argument, but you must do this in an engaging way; you can, for example, refer to key terms that bind together different examples.

...but don’t give everything away at the beginning.

Make clear where your argument is going, but also save some interesting connections or statements to reignite the reader’s interest in your topic. Imagine reading your own essay for an assignment and change the parts that are boring or difficult to read.

Following your essay plan, you will address each of the main relevant issues in turn. Make clear links between each section so that the argument continues to have a forward-moving direction.

Think of the different paragraphs of your essay as building blocks in your argument.

Do not make paragraphs excessively short or long. A typed page without paragraphs is like a (scary) wall of words for the reader. Use different paragraphs to set out the different arguments, and the different insights of comparative ethnographic examples.

Use clear links or topic sentences at the beginning of each paragraph. These help guide the reader and keep you on track. Use each paragraph to make an important point. ­So, if you reduced the paper to only the topic sentences of each paragraph, a reader would still be able to follow the flow of the argument. 

Integrating the evidence

ALWAYS back up your points with evidence, either citations or examples. Evidence in anthropology is made up of ethnographic examples or ‘case studies’.

Use ethnographic detail to illustrate the exact point you are making. Do not mention these just in passing (‘for example...’); explain!

Give a bit of context. Don’t just briefly mention a case study, assuming your reader knows its significance.

Often depth is better than breadth. Give yourself space to really dig into an example.

By the end of your essay you might be running out of motivation, but you must have a conclusion. Try to think about what inspired you when you began writing the essay and ‘add value’ by extending it a bit further.

(1) Re-read the essay title and reflect on how your argument has developed throughout the writing process.

(2) Restate your position (see earlier point about some repetition being good!).

(3) Remind the reader why your topic and argument are worth considering.

(4) Give your reader some ‘value-added’ thoughts, or present (briefly) an idea for how to apply what we have learnt more widely.

Make a mind map!

(1) Start with the essay question in the center of the page.

(2) Think back to the lectures that dealt most directly with the subject matter and note important theories and foundational ethnographies.

(3) Add relevant ethnographies and briefly describe their main point. Group together ethnographies that could engage in dialogue with each other; they do not have to be from the same part of the world or same time period, as long as you can draw relevant connections and contrasts.

(4) Think about how these ethnographies complicate, respond to, or expand upon the essay question.

(5) Revise your groupings of supporting ethnographies. Add in bits of context that would help frame your discussion of the evidence, referring to the central points made in lectures and classes.

(6) (Optional) Add colors, arrows or pictures to let your inspiration flow (and give yourself a break from typing). Making a mind map you are proud of can help make the writing process seem less daunting! All you have left to do is fill in the blanks with words. 

Google Drawing and Google Jamboard (used to create the mind map above) allow you to free-draw and rearrange text boxes to organise your notes and experiment with the flow of your ideas. Feel free to also do this by hand (and combat screen-fatigue!).

Citation tools like Zotero and Mendeley also offer software to help you organise your notes and structure essay outlines (but may require you to make an account).

You can also use the ‘Outline’ features of most versions of Microsoft Word and Google Docs to structure your essays before and while you are writing.