Academic Genres:
Types and Structure
Academic Argument
Essay Structure
Objectives:
• Identify some main essay types (genres)
• Identify main features of an argument /discussion essay
• To identify the ways essays are assessed and marked
• To look critically at an example essay
Essay types
• Student A, ask student B these questions and
report to the class:
• What different types of essays can you name?
• How many of these types have you written?
• What is the difference between essays you write
at school and at university?
• Do you enjoy writing essays? What about?
SPSE
Proposal
Argumentative
Discussion
Experiment
Reflective
Short
Extended
Thesis
Dissertation
Paragraph
Essay structures
• Do all essays have a similar structure?
• What is always at the beginning, middle and end
of a discussion essay?
• How can the content of an essay change?
What is a good essay?
• Answers the question
• Simple, clear and unambiguous
• Clear structure
• Every point supported by argument / evidence
• Analysis not description
• Proper citing and referencing
• Uses academic language
• Proofread properly – 3 times!
Analysing the question
Instruction
Focus
Discuss how much ‘modern life’ has
Topic
affected how people see
race, gender or class in
your country
Review of essay structure
• Introduction (10%)
• Body (80%)
• Conclusion (10%)
• State what you are going
to say
• Say it – detail and all
• Go over what you have
said
9
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In what ways has ‘modernity’ affected discourses
of race, gender and class in Latin America?
• Introduction – definition modernity – limits of Latin America – Thesis statement
• Race - effects
• Gender - effects
• Class - effects
• Conclusion – THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION
Introduction
• Background
information
General
• Interpret the question
• State purpose
• Give definitions
• State the thesis
• Outline of sections
Specific
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Conclusion
• Says nothing new
• Summary of arguments
• General conclusions
• Link back to title
Specific
• Comment on the future
• ANSWERS THE QUESTION!
General
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Elements of Academic Style
• Tentative statements
• Full forms of words
• Passive voice (where appropriate)
• Few direct quotations
• Formal negative forms
• No clichés, redundant words or colloquialisms
• Nominalised phrasing
Using sources to support argument
• Support must directly relate to topic of paragraph!
• Definitions
• Theories
• Statistics
• Facts
• Do not use sources to create your argument or topic sentences
The Paragraph
• Topic Sentence
Topic + Idea
(What you are talking about, and what you want to say about it)
• Support
- Facts/Statistics
- Paraphrase/Quotation
- Logic
- Theory
• Unity
The support must relate directly to the
topic and idea of the paragraph
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Proofreading
• Always check for…
• Structure
• Argument
• Coherence
• Referencing
• Language
• Grammar
Modernism in Latin America
• It seems reasonable to argue that Mexico is a example of a country undergoing
affected by what we call modern ideas and innovations. According to Ivaname
(1995), the key elements of modernism are the utilisation of technology and
radical change. In terms of technology, Mexico has embraced the Internet age
with 70% of the population having access to the Internet in 2009 compared to
20% in 1999 (Soandso 2010). Radical change in Mexico is perhaps best
demonstrated by two phenomena. Firstly, there has been extensive
urbanisation, with Mexican cities growing by on average a quarter over the last
35 years (Nottrue 2001). Secondly, the traditional role of women is changing,
especially with regard to working practices. In the past, Mexican women typically
stayed at home and looked after children. However, there is a strong trend away
from that. According to Invented (2007), by 2005 there were 12 times as many
women working full time in Mexico City as there were in 1987. Overall then, it
can be seen that Mexico is indeed undergoing a modernist revolution.
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