C. Munzenmaier • Hamilton College • Urbandale, IA

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Exploratory Essay
•Overview • Hints• Class Materials • Resources

Many college assignments require you to support a thesis. Thesis comes from a Greek word meaning "position." Your thesis is the position you take on a controversial issue—the point you are trying to prove.

The exploratory essay starts with a question, not a thesis. You might ask What do I think about this topic? or How am I learning about this issue? Your essay will show how your thinking changes as you research a topic.

For example, when you begin researching capital punishment, you may be in favor of the death penalty. Then you may find some studies that question whether it has a deterrent effect. However, another study suggests that every execution may deter 11 murders. How do you deal with this conflicting information?

You don't have to know what you think about your topic when you start writing your exploratory essay. You may find yourself discovering your position as you write. As the British novelist E. M. Forster asked, "How do I know what I think until I see what I say?"

How to Write an Exploratory Essay

1. Describe your topic.
  • How did you choose your subject?
  • How have you narrowed (or broadened) it?
2. Give a progress report on your research.
  • Do you have enough information?
    • Where have you looked for information?
    • Have you conducted any original research, such as interviews or surveys?
    • Are there gaps in your information?
  • What's next? Are you coming to a stopping place (when your sources begin to repeat each other), or are you still finding new information?
  • If you need more information, how do you plan to find it?
3. Explain how your research has influenced your thinking.
  • If your thinking has changed, explain what changed it.
  • If you're not sure about your opinion, pick the most important ideas from your sources and write about them.
  • If your thinking has not changed, explained why what you have learned supports your original opinion.
4. Mention any significant issues or problems:
  • new information that raises issues you hadn't considered
  • concerns about whether you have enough information
  • confusing or incomplete information
  • contradictory information
  • anything else that's relevant to the way you're thinking about this topic

Hint 1—Getting Started: Review your research log.

Hint 2 —Organizing Your Thoughts: Make a two-column list. In one, put a fact about your research—finding nothing when you searched for recidivism, but getting lots of hits with prison + revolving door. In the second column, put what you thought or felt about each fact. Next, pick the most important facts, put them in chronological order, and start writing. After each fact, explain your thoughts or feelings about it.

Hint 3 —Follow a Model: Several exploratory essays are available at The Why Files site, including one on suicide terrorism. You can also get ideas from Questions from a Critical Reader/Answers from an Academic Writer (scroll until you see the list of questions).

Class Materials

Dealing with Conflicting Information

 Discussion questions:

    • Describe your research process so far. Has it been like the trails Billy leaves in the Family Circus, a straight line, a roller coaster...?
    • What is the most important thing you've learned so far?
    • Where do your sources agree? On what points do they disagree?
    • What questions do you still have to answer?

 Grading criteria (.doc)

Internet Resources

(exampl

Exploratory Essay (Paradigm Online Writing Assistant)
Exploratory Essay (good overview from the Essay Writing Center)
The Why Files (examples)
Writing an Academic Paper: Some Guidance (Egan)
Student Samples
Need more? Go to your favorite search engine and type in "exploratory essay" and model
or example.

 









 

 

 

 

Copyright in these materials belongs to C. Munzenmaier © 2005.
Teachers are free to reproduce or modify them for educational use. 

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