Reading Seminar: Key Debates in Development Studies (2017-2018)

Essay-writing Guidelines

In serving the goals and objectives of the course as specified in the Course Guide, students
are required to write 2 essays to demonstrate the ability in developing critical reasoning
around key development issues in a constructive and contrasting manner.

Preparation:

You must read all the prescribed materials and participate in group work to achieve the best
outcomes of debating on important development phenomena and theories.

You should be able to learn fast how academic essays are developed through reading those
prescribed materials. You should internalize the ways in which argumentation and structures
are organized by authors and see what you can learn from them.

You should make a clear outline of the essay prior to writing and discuss it with your peers or
the lecturer if you wish. The outline should consist of the following items:

topic and sub-topics if you have

central research question: what is the most important research issue you intend to
discuss in your essay?

sub-research questions: to discuss your central research question, what are the sub-
questions? However, these questions should not be too long and too many; they
should be closely linked to one another and address the central question in a
consistent, coherent and thus logical manner

structure of the essay: sections and sub-sections

conclusion

list of references

Essay structure:

The introduction of your essay should include the following elements:

It gives the purpose, scope and objectives of your essay.

It defines the context of your essay in scientific terms.

It includes the thesis/central argument/perspective of your essay.

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This part should not be long; normally a few paragraphs are enough. Essentially, it is all
about the background information on your essay, your arguments and how you intend to
discuss your arguments in terms of giving a proper outline of the essay.

The body paragraphs of your essay are best broken into clear, well-defined sections with
headings. In addition, the body paragraphs should follow these instructions:

They should prove each point you make with facts and analysis.

The analysis should be based on contrasting different development

theories/perspectives in defining and discussing them in terms of what they are about,
what you agree or disagree with, and why.

They should not include unsupported facts or data analysis; in other words, cite your
sources.

Each paragraph has a mini-conclusion that shows the importance of the information
you present.

Each paragraph carries a single message, normally. So, do not pull together too
much information in one single paragraph.

There is a logical thread woven into the paragraphs. In other words, they are logical,
consistent and coherent.

The conclusion of your essay should be about summarizing your argument and preferably
providing forward-looking perspectives or addressing outstanding research issues:

It must restate your central argument, mini-conclusions and any justifications/basis for
those conclusions.

It should address implications for further research or how the topic fits into a wider
scientific context.

It should not be too long; a few paragraphs is the norm.

Finally, including a list of references is a must.

Assessment criteria:

A clearly defined topic with a strong focus on a particular issue

A well designed structure demonstrating its coherence and logic
Demonstration of applying development theories/perspectives into discussing
development issues in an analytical manner
Demonstration of drawing on a wide of reading materials as references
Good command of English in an academic writing style
Proper use of academic references
No plagiarism
Proper formatting of the essay with headings, sub-headings and page numbers
Length: 1,200-1,500 words excluding a list of references