Introduction, Main Body, Conclusion: Why Are Essays Written This Way?

Introduction, Main Body, Conclusion: Why Are Essays Written This Way?

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(1) Video Library > 6. How to Write a Good Argumentative Essay

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Introduction

  • Why Writing Matters
  • Organization of This Course

Part 1: A Structured Approach to Successful Essay Writing

  • Introduction

1. Why Are Writing Skills Important?

  • Why Good Writers Rule the World

2. What is the Most Efficient Way to Improve My Essay Writing?

  • The Craft of Writing From 20,000 Feet
  • The Most Efficient Way to Dramatically Improve Your Essay Writing
  • Introduction, Main Body, Conclusion: Why Are Essays Written This Way?
  • How Essay Style is Related to Essay Structure

3. How Should I Approach the Writing Process?

  • Writing to PRESENT vs Writing to DISCOVER
  • Why Rewriting is Important (and why students don’t think so)
  • How to Deal With Writer’s Anxiety and Writer’s Block

4. What is My Ideal Writing Workflow?

  • The Right Way to Think About Outlining
  • My Ideal Writing Workflow
  • Tools for Mind-Mapping, Outlining and Drafting
  • The Writing Tools I Use: A Quick Introduction to Scrivener and Evernote

5. What Does a Structured Approach to Essay Writing Look Like?

  • Two Kinds of Essay Structure to Keep in Mind
  • A Structured Approach to Essay Writing Using Scrivener
  • A Short Essay Demo Using a Structured Essay Writing Template

6. Follow Along As I Write a Real College Essay From Start to Finish

  • Writing a Real College Essay: Part 1 - The Assignment
  • Writing a Real College Essay: Part 2 - Research
  • Writing a Real College Essay: Part 3 - Outlining
  • Writing a Real College Essay: Part 4 - Drafts
  • Writing a Real College Essay: Part 5 - References

7. How Can I Improve My Writing Style?

  • The #1 Misconception About Writing Style
  • Oratorical Style, Prophetic Style and Romantic Style
  • Practical Style, Reflexive Style and Academic Style
  • Classic Style: Prose as a Window Into the World
  • Classic Style as an Antidote to Bad Academic Writing

Part 2: How to Write a Good Argumentative Essay (and watch me rewrite a student essay from start to finish)

  • Introduction

1. Guidelines for Structuring an Argumentative Essay

  • A Minimal Five-Part Structure
  • Writing the Introduction
  • Writing the Conclusion

2. A Sample Essay with Some Problems (and strategies for fixing them)

  • The Essay: Should Teachers Be Allowed to Ban Laptops in Classrooms?
  • Analysis: The Introduction
  • Analysis: Main Body: First Argument
  • Analysis: Main Body: Second Argument
  • Analysis: Main Body: Third Argument
  • Analysis: Main Body: Evaluation and Recommendations
  • Analysis: The Conclusion
  • The Essay: Improved Version
  • The Essay: Improved Version With Commentary

Part 3: How to Cite Sources and Avoid Plagiarism

  • Introduction

1. What is Plagiarism?

  • Plagiarism: The Basic Definition
  • Downloading or Buying Whole Papers
  • Cutting and Pasting From Several Sources
  • Changing Some Words But Copying Whole Phrases
  • Paraphrasing Without Attribution
  • The Debate Over Patchwriting

2. How to Cite Sources

  • When Should I Cite a Source?
  • What Needs to be Cited?
  • How to Cite: Mark the Boundaries
  • Citing Exact Words
  • Citing a Longer Quotation
  • Citing a Source But Not Quoting
  • A Comment About Common Knowledge
  • Understanding Citation Styles: MLA, APA, CSE, Chicago, Turabian