TIPS ON WRITING PAPERS IN THE COLLEGE OF LETTERS

  Philosophy Essays | History Essays | Literature Papers

Philosophy Essays

1. Make the primary concern of your essay the argument[s] in support of particular claims. That doesn't mean that the style and historical context of the text you are discussing aren't important--but do not make them the central objects of concern.
    
2. Your essay should have a three-part structure: opening, middle, conclusion. These parts (which need not be explicitly identified as such) should approximately comprise:
    
   • Opening: What is the problem or issue to be examined?
      In this essay, I shall argue that ...
      I will argue for this conclusion by analysis of X's argument.
      
   • Middle: What are X's argument, premises, and conclusion?
     What problems (if any) are there with X's premises?
     What problems (if any) are there with X's conclusion[s]?
     Can X's argument stand in the light of my objections?
      
   • End: What do I think about the problem or issue, and what is the argument that supports my position?
     Final conclusion: I have argued that ... (this will to a large extent recapitulate what you proposed in your opening).
      
3. Make sure you seek the strong points in an argument, not only the weak ones, and present the argument in full before trying to refute it.
    
4. If you find yourself disagreeing with an argument of the philosopher you're studying, consider whether you've understood the argument fully, asking, "Could X accommodate my objection and sustain the argument? How would X answer my response?"
    
5. If you find one objection to an argument, don't conclude that the entire argument must be rejected, unless you can demonstrate that. Perhaps only one premise has to be rethought.
    
6. Be as precise as you can in referring to the text, making sure that you have accurately represented its ideas. Beware of making the claim that a brief quotation represents an entire argument or even the immediate context from which it has been extracted.
    
7. Confront the issues actually presented in the texts you read, rather than trying to construct the entire argument on your own--which is not only much harder to do, but also much more susceptible to serious inaccuracy and misrepresentation. Make use of the arguments that the philosophers have made before formulating your own arguments (rather than, say, constructing arguments of your own and forcing the texts to respond to them).

Back to Top
 

History Essays

Most of the guidelines offered above for philosophy papers also apply to history papers. In addition:

1. Take the trouble at the beginning to define important terms you are using. It is not unreasonable to use dictionary definitions, as long as you make them only a starting point. Do not treat a dictionary definition as an established truth, which is not subject to question.
    
2. If you are using, or arguing with, terms used by the text, make sure that you understand how the author uses the terms in question. Don't attempt to criticize an author through the use of anachronistic terminology.
    
3. Bear in mind that in an historical essay, you must give priority to evidence and the treatment of evidence, rather than to the structure of the argument (which is not to say that the latter is unimportant or can be neglected).
    
4. Don't attempt to generalize about matters concerning which you may be inadequately informed. Your argument can be valid without the assertion of its application to the entirety of medieval history, to a monolithic conception of "Christian thought," and so on. Retain a focus upon the specific issues raised by the text you are examining.
    
5. Make sure you have attained the best understanding you can of how the author whose work you are discussing conceived of history before undertaking to criticize his/her arguments or opinions.
    
6. Try to understand and define the author's/authors' point of view, assumptions, bias: make that part of your argument.
    
7. What is significant to the person or persons who have produced this historical document and how would a modem, 20th century reader approach the same or a similar issue?

Back to Top
 

Literature Papers

Many of the guidelines already provided for Philosophy and History papers will apply.  In addition:

1. Before beginning to develop a specific argument about the text, ask yourself the following general questions about it:
    
   • What is the structure of this text? (There may well be more than one kind of structure -- e.g., plot, poetic structure, historical framework, legend or myth, etc.)
      
   • What are its thematic concerns (major and minor)?
      
   • What kinds of poetic and literary imagery does the text exhibit, and what discernible relations are there between the imagery and the themes?
      
   • Is there an authorial voice within the text? If so, how does it situate itself in relation to the narrative?
      
   • Does the text have any linguistic peculiarities? (Admittedly, these are not always easy to notice beneath the veil of a translation, and sometimes translations can lead one to erroneous conclusions.)
      
2. Make sure that the question you wish to argue is firmly grounded in the text–you may even wish to begin with a quotation, if there is one that encapsulates the problem you wish to analyze. Don't choose a large general topic defined for you by some contemporary notion, in the hope that you can make the literary work under consideration fit it.
    
3. By all means use "close reading" to ascertain subtextual patterns of meaning and to obtain clues to verbal structures that may not be immediately apparent; but don't base an entire argument on a single passage of text, paying no attention to the rest of it. And don't leave out of consideration passages of text that may be cited to refute or oppose your argument.
    
4. Pay attention to context: a line taken entirely out of context may allow for an interpretation that is altogether implausible when the line is looked at in its context.
    
5. Don't assume that you must have a totally comprehensive, globally valid argument in order to write a strong essay. Be honest in your assessment of the evidence available to you. If it indicates an ambiguous or negative conclusion, it is better to accept and present what the logic of argument and evidence dictates than to distort or twist the evidence, or to manipulate the argument, in order to arrive at a more "pleasing" conclusion.
    
6. Remember that the study of literature should be "scientific"--that is, grounded in evidence and argued with logic. Don't take the position that impressions, however insightful, constitute an argument.

Back to Top