Freddy Purcell offers some general advice for essay writing at undergraduate level
Throughout my first year, my lecturers often referenced the difference in essay writing between school and university level. Despite working hard, it was only most of my way into second year when I think I finally understood the process of writing an undergraduate philosophy essay. So, in the hope that I can accelerate the process for readers that are fresher to university life, I wanted to write this short article sharing what I learned over three years of my degree.
1: Follow mark schemes and verify what is required in module
On the more mundane level, it is always worth checking the mark scheme you’re provided to tailor your essays to each module. There has been a more recent attempt to standardise the marking criteria, but generally each lecturer puts a slightly different emphasis on what they want. This might include discussion of the literature versus more focussed analysis. So, make sure you note what lecturers want during classes and meet each element of the marking criteria.
2: Go to office hours
It is often difficult to be exactly sure you’re on the right track without checking in with your lecturers. You can do this very easily by email or by speaking to them after class and during office hours. They’re always very friendly and can give you suggestions on useful material to read, sense-check whether your line of argument seems plausible and point to any areas you might need to be cautious. All this advice is invaluable in refining your argument. It is also just really useful to talk through your essay aloud, particularly with someone who knows the subject. Going to office hours is always the main advice I would give to any student, not only to improve their grades, but also to enhance their enjoyment of their courses.
3: Make full use of online resources
The university provides us with access to a vast range of literature, but it can be difficult to know where to start. I would recommend a few different places to begin:
- Check out what your lecturers have set you for readings. They will generally be relevant to the essay questions that are given and often represent seminal contributions to a particular field.
- The Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy is a great peer reviewed online source that has articles on a massive range of subjects. While they won’t necessarily go into much depth, they always provide a great overview of the academic terrain that can give you a better sense of what will be useful for your essay.
- The subject pages on philpapers.org also provide good summaries of the academic terrain, sometimes suggesting articles that review the literature that can be another great starting point. The website also helpfully groups articles by subject.
Generally, I used philpapers and Google Scholar to search for papers, but the library website can be really useful to gain access to stuff you can find through these sites but can’t access.
4: Write from the heart
The greatest transformation between school and undergraduate level is that you are no longer required to simply regurgitate the vast quantities of information. Lecturers will generally say that following this approach at university is enough to gain a 2:2 or a low 2:1, provided you regurgitate it correctly. However, to access the higher grades, they will always say that your essays require some kind of originality. Unfortunately, what originality constitutes is vague. It might involve providing an example/case study that hasn’t been discussed in existing literature, interpreting a paper in a new way, or linking two authors together. There are many possibilities that can all contribute towards a first-class essay. Importantly, you don’t have to revolutionise an area of philosophy to be original.
I always found that knowing the different ways to be original were not necessarily helpful. The biggest thing that improved my grades did not come from chasing originality but instead came from a change in approach. In first year in particular, I always found myself choosing a question, reading a load of literature, and then working out what I wanted to say. While there is nothing necessarily wrong with this approach, I think it sometimes meant I just regurgitated what I’d read, and my own opinion got lost. Eventually I realised this and I decided that instead of starting with a whole bunch of reading, I would imagine how I would answer that question, then find the literature to see if that opinion is supported. Of course, you have to be flexible and develop your thinking as different avenues of argument become implausible. However, putting what you think at the forefront of your writing means that your own voice is never lost and you’re much more likely to find something original to say.
Your degree becomes much more enjoyable when you can write about what you think is important and interesting. Indeed, if you become interested in a specific question over the course of your research, it can be beneficial to ask your lecturers whether you can answer a different question to the set list they provide, rather than shoehorning content into an essay question that it does not work with.
That concludes the main pieces of advice I have for writing an undergraduate philosophy essay. Although, if you have any questions, you should always speak to your lecturers, classmates, or the Philosophy Society Committee. In fact, if you have any questions for me, please find me at an event or comment down below. The Philosophy Department as Exeter is a welcoming and friendly place, so you are never alone with your academic development.