111 EnG

Exploratory essay assignment

The purpose of an exploratory essay is to explore a thesis, trying to determine if the thesis idea is valid or invalid.  For the assignment, I want you to choose a problem you don’t know much about.  The problem can be anything.  Write an introduction that gets my attention, explains which problem you chose, explains why the problem is significant, and gives me a thesis with tension, which is the point you would like to make in your paper.  This thesis can be presented as a guess rather than a strong statement.

The paper is a research paper, so you need to find at least two pieces of research about this problem.  It does not matter what the research is or what it says.  The body of the essay needs to explore the thesis, so in your body you will discuss whether your research supports or disagrees with your thesis.  It does not matter if you actually support your thesis or not.  I would like you to quote a lot from these two sources.  Summary and paraphrase are optional.

In your conclusion, you need to discuss whether, after doing the research and writing the body, you still agree with your thesis or if you have changed your mind.  If you still believe your thesis is accurate then restate it.  If you have changed your mind about your thesis then create a new one.  The rest of the conclusion is standard with you restating your main points and significance, and leaving the reader thinking.  Then, build a Works Cited page listing the two pieces of research.  You can use more than two if you want. 

You also need to include a running narrative that explains how you found your research and wrote the paper.  This narrative allows the reader of the essay to understand the process you went through, which is very important for the reader in this type of essay.  The paper should be 3 pages typed and double-spaced.