While most Marxist oriented theories see the present global system as falling under the domination of global capital, Gibson and Graham argue that many institutions of global society today cannot be considered capitalist at all and that instead what we have is a post-capitalist, diverse economy. Consider this debate.

WRITING A SOCIOLOGY ESSAY AT MASTERS LEVEL

This advice assumes you are familiar with writing essays in a generic way. It is designed to help structure a sociological essay effectively.

What is the intention of a sociology essay?

As social scientists we explore society and how it functions in relation to its citizens. For example, people living in the same country may have very different experiences of what it means to live in that country because of issues of wealth, poverty, access to education, health and other resources. Exploring Sociology often means you are dealing with things that are very familiar to you; the ‘everyday’ social world: this includes friends, families, relationships (personal, work, even political or community relationships).  In Sociology, you are asked as a Social Scientist to step out of your comfort zone and examine these ‘everyday’ things with objectivity.

One of the most important things is to critically question all that you see and hear. You need to question assumptions and bias that you may bring to the table yourself. This includes attitudes and values that you have grown up with, and ideas you have been surrounded by all your life. This is not always easy but it is exciting. It is necessary to put aside our assumptions and preconceived notions to fully enable us to explore how society works, how and why people may behave the way they do and how our social institutions are conceived and function.

Why we need evidence

As a social scientist it is your job to read widely, take a position and find evidence that supports that position.

EVIDENCE TAKES THE FORM OF:

• Sociological theory
• Empirical studies (what are the numbers regarding this issue)
• Actual examples (real life)
• Literature: this refers to the academic work that is available on your topic

It is easy to assume that everybody thinks like you do OR if you are part of a subculture you might think ‘no one’ thinks like you do. The point is you have to explain and defend your position.

A good essay often acknowledges the ‘other’ position, then moves on to explain why your position is stronger. If you do this, only devote a small proportion of your essay time (and energy) to the counter position.

Example: You may be writing about the impact of climate change in your region but in fact many people (and governments) do not believe that climate change is caused by humans. So you need to acknowledge that some people are in opposition to what you think. You could write:  ‘There are many who dispute that climate change is due to human behaviours’ (preferably a reference here as well), however this essay will clearly argue that climate change is influenced by …’

Depending on the topic, remember that most people will have a point of view that is uninformed and may well support the ‘opposite’ viewpoint.

What are ‘facts’ in this context?

Different points of view can all be defended by ‘facts’. Using the above example, some people can demonstrate that global warming is an imminent threat vs others who can find scientists to agree with them that global warming does not exist.

This means you need to be discerning in your choices of where to find your evidence.  Because you are at university, we expect you to use academic sources. These are peer-reviewed and although they may not all agree, they are usually putting a considered viewpoint. Look in your library before you go to the net.

If you are having trouble finding information on your topic OR are not sure what you find is academic enough OR not sure it is ‘sociological’ enough, I have a tip:

RESEARCH TIP

Put your topic (and key words) in the search engine, then add the plus sign (+) sociology

In this way you are going to get the sociological debate on this issue.

Relevance of data

In general terms choose references that are NOT more than five years old. It makes your case stronger. It is not good to use data for example that gives population figures for 1996 when they may be very different now. Of course you could use this if you were comparing a population increase from 1996 until now, but not just because that was the first lot of statistics you found on the net and could not be bothered finding more up to date information.

The exception to this are the sociological  classics: Durkheim, Connell, Weber, Foucault, Marx, Wallerstein … these may be thirty or fifty years old and have stayed around for a reason. They still inform a lot of our thinking today.

Can I use other sources?

Additional material can often illustrate a point really well. So you can include a magazine quote, or newspaper, or whatever – but these are in addition to your required number of academic references for that particular assignment. They must also be referenced correctly as per a Harvard reference guide.

Structuring the argument

The Introduction should outline the topic, how you are going to approach the topic and how you intend to structure the essay (see also FINAL TIP)

You should ask yourself:

• Has my essay actually answered the specific question that has been asked?
• Does the essay make a clear argument?

It pays to really think and analyse the topic – what you are being asked to talk about – before you even begin your readings. Then ask yourself again as you make a draft.

Have you fulfilled all the requirements of the question? Often an academic question will have two or three parts.

It is up to you to structure the essay in a way that makes sense. So yes, you need an Introduction, Body and Conclusion. However you can move from the general (your wider reading) to the particular … or sequentially build an argument … or use overseas examples and then bring it back to your specific issue …these are things to think about when you look at your draft. By doing this, your Introduction will tell the reader how you have gone about approaching the topic. Example: ‘In this essay I have compared data from four African countries and applied these findings to this issue in relation to the delivery of maternal health services in Uganda’.

I haven’t got time for lots of drafts – help!

In any essay (not just sociology) there are many ways to write it. There is certainly no one, right way. I would, however suggest it is important not to try to write a perfect essay from the beginning and move forward to the end. It is extremely rare for any writer to be able to do this. As an example, a simple technique to try if you do not have your own definite method is:

• A first ‘draft’ may be quite crude: really just an essay outline where you’ve just dropped in the information you intend to use under basic headings.
• Then write a ‘proper’ first draft. THINK AND REFLECT (this may be a day later).
• Make any last minute improvements for the final essay. Really it’s just one draft, the first one is really a file with your information in it. Everyone is different and some people may write more drafts – it is up to you and time is precious.

Always re-read: Just ask yourself as you do this – does it make a clear and compelling case?

Does the conclusion bring the discussion together? It should not just be a regurgitation of the body of the essay. Does it directly relate to the question? Is it an accurate reflection of your argument?

A FINAL TIP

Write your Introduction last. It is often better to put your Introduction in bullet points and work off that while you write your essay. This is often because:

* students get stuck on trying to write a perfect Intro and can’t get going on the essay OR students often write a good Introduction but it does not clearly relate to the rest of the essay and set out what the essay is really about

* your material and argument develop as you go, so often you get a better, stronger Introduction when you’ve written the entire essay. By doing this, the Introduction sets out clearly how the essay will address the topic and structure of the argument

* often your writing improves after a good burst of writing on your essay and your authorial ‘voice’ is more confident when you’ve finished the work.