Exploratory essays are question-driven rather than argument-driven, so you will not be trying to prove an argument in this essay and you will not have a thesis! Your paper will still have a motivation—perhaps a recent event, a personal experience, a recurring thought or question, or a scholar’s argument—but you will not argue for an answer or solution. The point is to ask a question and to explore as many aspects of that question as possible. That might not result in a final answer or solution, but it will deepen the reader’s understanding of whatever topic/question you engage. This kind of essay, which incorporates both research and personal experiences, offers new opportunities. You can think of this as countering the “single story” idea because you’re offering new and different stories and thoughts, which means you can explain your personal motivation for exploring the topic or asking the question. You can use the first person “I” and incorporate personal anecdotes, provided they’re relevant and lend insight to the question/topic you’re exploring. The trick to successful exploratory essays is making the personal universal. An example of this style of essay is Sabine Heinlein’s essay “The Cruelty of Kindness.” Heinlein’s motivation comes from her own experience with her adopted cat, which leads to bigger questions about animal shelters. Adam Gopnik’s “Bumping into Mr. Ravioli” is motivated by his daughter’s imaginary friend, which leads to bigger questions about whether we’re all too busy and need to slow down our lives. Exploratory essays offer more freedom than argument-driven essays because you can explore different lines of thought without worrying about whether they support your thesis. However, an exploratory essay is NOT a free-write or stream-of-consciousness essay. An exploratory essay requires planning, and it needs to be carefully organized, just like other essays. One way to understand the structure of the exploratory essay is to think of it as the story of your search for insights/answers to your question. Think of this assignment as an opportunity to be creative, to take risks, and to set aside some of the constraints we often associate with academic writing. The tone and voice of an exploratory essay are subjective, whereas the tone and voice of expository essay tend to be objective. Above all, your essay should represent your genuine concerns, questions, feelings and ideas—not some notion of a “right answer.” Assignment: Write a paper of ~2,500 words in which you ask, analyze, and explore a genuine question you have about the world. You could ask questions such as, “What are the ethical implications of ‘no-harm’ animal shelters?” You could ask why systems that work around the world, such as single-payer health care or free college education, haven’t taken hold in the U.S. You could leverage the current situation and ask, “how will the use of technology to mediate almost all interactions affect society?” The question can be anything, as long as you don’t already know (or think you know) the answer. The question should be of genuine interest to you, but also relevant to people in general. Try to avoid yes/no questions, and instead ask “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” “why,” and “how” questions. Remember, your goal here is NOT to prove a point—it’s to raise relevant questions and insights that you will explore via research and analysis, which means you’ll be exploring all sides of whatever question you’re asking: good and bad, pros and cons, multiple/competing theories, multiple/competing answers, etc. Being open-minded is key—you don’t know what you’re going to find when you start digging, which is precisely why you’re writing this essay!
Category: Parenting
PART 3: PARENTING ACTION PLAN
You’ve crafted your case study. You’ve done your research on the topic. Now it’s time to identify some solutions in the form of a Parenting Action Plan.
Your Parenting Action Plan should be about 2000-3000 word in length and follow APA style (7th edition). Be sure to use in-text citations and include a reference list.
Copy and paste your case study at the beginning of your document to provide the context for your research essay. (This will not count towards your word total.)
Your essay should be written in your own words and you should always cite any ideas that come from another source. Do not use quotations or copy verbatim from another author.
Your action plan can build on your existing research essay, but the action plan itself will include a few additional components (denoted with an * below). The research you have done should be carefully woven into your action plan. In other words, don’t just copy and paste your research essay and tack on more words. Use the research to justify the actions you are proposing.
Statement of the problem: A statement of the key issues that must be explored in order to resolve your case study.(This can be the same as the statement in your research essay)
Incorporation of at least 10 credible sources from within the past 10 years that can be used to support a parenting action plan. At least 5 of these sources must be scholarly social science research articles, and at least 3 of the sources must have been published within the last 2 years.
*Incorporation of parenting or developmental theories to provide a framework for the proposed action plan.
*Description of potential sites of impact (Step 6 of the Planning Table).
*Identify an action plan grounded in research that may address concerns posed by the case study (Step 7 of the Planning Table).
Correct use of in-text citations and corresponding reference list (APA 7th edition).
Use of APA 7th edition format (1” margins, standard font, double spacing, page numbers, etc.).
Demonstration of strong writing skills.
Submit your essay to the assignments folder and run the paper through Turnitin.com (You can do this from within the assignments folder. No need to use a separate account). If you submit your work before the deadline, you can use the Turnitin report to evaluate whether your paper requires additional editing.
PART 3: PARENTING ACTION PLAN
You’ve crafted your case study. You’ve done your research on the topic. Now it’s time to identify some solutions in the form of a Parenting Action Plan.
Your Parenting Action Plan should be about 2000-3000 word in length and follow APA style (7th edition). Be sure to use in-text citations and include a reference list.
Copy and paste your case study at the beginning of your document to provide the context for your research essay. (This will not count towards your word total.)
Your essay should be written in your own words and you should always cite any ideas that come from another source. Do not use quotations or copy verbatim from another author.
Your action plan can build on your existing research essay, but the action plan itself will include a few additional components (denoted with an * below). The research you have done should be carefully woven into your action plan. In other words, don’t just copy and paste your research essay and tack on more words. Use the research to justify the actions you are proposing.
Statement of the problem: A statement of the key issues that must be explored in order to resolve your case study.(This can be the same as the statement in your research essay)
Incorporation of at least 10 credible sources from within the past 10 years that can be used to support a parenting action plan. At least 5 of these sources must be scholarly social science research articles, and at least 3 of the sources must have been published within the last 2 years.
*Incorporation of parenting or developmental theories to provide a framework for the proposed action plan.
*Description of potential sites of impact (Step 6 of the Planning Table).
*Identify an action plan grounded in research that may address concerns posed by the case study (Step 7 of the Planning Table).
Correct use of in-text citations and corresponding reference list (APA 7th edition).
Use of APA 7th edition format (1” margins, standard font, double spacing, page numbers, etc.).
Demonstration of strong writing skills.
Submit your essay to the assignments folder and run the paper through Turnitin.com (You can do this from within the assignments folder. No need to use a separate account). If you submit your work before the deadline, you can use the Turnitin report to evaluate whether your paper requires additional editing.
Exploratory essays are question-driven rather than argument-driven, so you will not be trying to prove an argument in this essay and you will not have a thesis! Your paper will still have a motivation—perhaps a recent event, a personal experience, a recurring thought or question, or a scholar’s argument—but you will not argue for an answer or solution. The point is to ask a question and to explore as many aspects of that question as possible. That might not result in a final answer or solution, but it will deepen the reader’s understanding of whatever topic/question you engage. This kind of essay, which incorporates both research and personal experiences, offers new opportunities. You can think of this as countering the “single story” idea because you’re offering new and different stories and thoughts, which means you can explain your personal motivation for exploring the topic or asking the question. You can use the first person “I” and incorporate personal anecdotes, provided they’re relevant and lend insight to the question/topic you’re exploring. The trick to successful exploratory essays is making the personal universal. An example of this style of essay is Sabine Heinlein’s essay “The Cruelty of Kindness.” Heinlein’s motivation comes from her own experience with her adopted cat, which leads to bigger questions about animal shelters. Adam Gopnik’s “Bumping into Mr. Ravioli” is motivated by his daughter’s imaginary friend, which leads to bigger questions about whether we’re all too busy and need to slow down our lives. Exploratory essays offer more freedom than argument-driven essays because you can explore different lines of thought without worrying about whether they support your thesis. However, an exploratory essay is NOT a free-write or stream-of-consciousness essay. An exploratory essay requires planning, and it needs to be carefully organized, just like other essays. One way to understand the structure of the exploratory essay is to think of it as the story of your search for insights/answers to your question. Think of this assignment as an opportunity to be creative, to take risks, and to set aside some of the constraints we often associate with academic writing. The tone and voice of an exploratory essay are subjective, whereas the tone and voice of expository essay tend to be objective. Above all, your essay should represent your genuine concerns, questions, feelings and ideas—not some notion of a “right answer.” Assignment: Write a paper of ~2,500 words in which you ask, analyze, and explore a genuine question you have about the world. You could ask questions such as, “What are the ethical implications of ‘no-harm’ animal shelters?” You could ask why systems that work around the world, such as single-payer health care or free college education, haven’t taken hold in the U.S. You could leverage the current situation and ask, “how will the use of technology to mediate almost all interactions affect society?” The question can be anything, as long as you don’t already know (or think you know) the answer. The question should be of genuine interest to you, but also relevant to people in general. Try to avoid yes/no questions, and instead ask “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” “why,” and “how” questions. Remember, your goal here is NOT to prove a point—it’s to raise relevant questions and insights that you will explore via research and analysis, which means you’ll be exploring all sides of whatever question you’re asking: good and bad, pros and cons, multiple/competing theories, multiple/competing answers, etc. Being open-minded is key—you don’t know what you’re going to find when you start digging, which is precisely why you’re writing this essay!
Create a poster, audio-visual aid, or PowerPoint presentation that summarizes the main takeaways from your case study.