The "Writing to Explore" Essay

Background:

The genre of the Exploratory Essay is an exercise that "narrates a writer's thinking process while doing research" (A&B p. 220 (p. 251)). Through this project, you are asked to show your reader HOW you are considering the evidence as you encounter it on your journey of discovery. In other words, it's showing readers your dialectic thinking as you formulate an informed, educated research project. Often, students discover their reasons for their beliefs through the task of describing this thread of thought. (President Obama discovered his reasoning for entering into the Libyan conflict through this exploration.) This essay is not the site for arguing your position; this essay is the site for considering and evaluating the conditions at work in the dialogue, so that when you are ready to "take your seat at the table" in Project #3, you have considered all aspects of this subject.

Remember, in your first-person, narrative essay, you are not only telling us the story (the journey) of your research, you are also making an argument about why your audience should also be interested in the topic (demonstrating rhetorical exigence). Your rhetorical challenge is to explain the topic in a way that is accessible to an audience unfamiliar with the topic (or not as literate as you are/have become about the topic)--this is your chance to employ appeals to logos, ethos, and pathos to reel in your audience.

The goal of this essay is to better understand the topic from multiple angles and perspectives (local, regional, and national) so that you can then build upon the topic in the proposal essay, where you identify a problem related to your topic and propose a solution to that problem. In this particular essay, "your goal is not to answer your question but to report on the process of wrestling with it" (A&B. 473).

Topics Off Limits
--Abortion/stem cell
--Euthanasia
--Legalization of pot
--Smoking
--Same sex marriage
--Religion
--Gas vs Electric cars, renewable energy

--Death penalty
--Gun control
--Conspiracy theories
--Technology and this generation
--texting and driving
--drunk driving-drinking age

Task: Write an Exploratory Essay
• 1250-1500 words, double spaced, Times New Roman, 12-pt font.
• 5-6 academic journal sources (In other terms, you need to debate 3 "wallowings." These sources need to appear in your Works Cited page).

Due Dates:
Monday-Friday, Sept 19-23: Conferences. Please have two copies of your draft printed.
Wednesday, Sept 28: In-class peer-review conversations
Friday, Sept 30: Project due on Blackboard's Turnitin assignment portal by midnight.

Questions I will be asking when evaluating your projects:
Content
• Has the writer shown that his/her objective is to explore a question, rather than state a thesis?
• Has the writer done enough research?
• Does the essay clearly summarize the argument in each piece of research?
• Does the essay employ dialectic thinking? Is there evidence the author is open to adjusting his or her beliefs (unbiased) as he or she uncovers new information? Does the essay clearly show the evolution of the writer's thinking, recounting the research process and showing how the writer's thinking changed through research and analysis?
• To what extent does the essay "wallow in complexity"-that is, really postpone closure on the issue, so the writer can deeply explore the topic

Organization
• Does each paragraph develop one supporting point?
• Does the organization reveal a clear line of reasoning and emphasize what is important?
• Does the ending sum up the evolution of the writer's thinking and clarify why the writer hasn't solved the problem?

Style
• Is the voice and tone likeable; does it sound like a real person speaking?
• Is the essay formatted correctly to MLA?
• Spelling, grammar, and mechanics issues?

Please see Allyn and Bacon Chapter 10 (Ch 11) for review of the Exploratory Essay. Please also find models posted on Blackboard.

Unit Outcomes. These outcomes are what the FIU Writing Program seeks to observe in your work:

• Show a promising start to their capstone extended writing project, engaging with sources related to their research question and illustrating a feasible approach to research;
• Pose a timely research question that is likely to engage a chosen audience;
• Conduct relevant research (taking detailed notes while rhetorically locating, evaluating and analyzing sources);
• Choose sources purposefully and reflectively, rather than randomly;
• Effectively summarize, analyze, and synthesize the ideas of others;
• Read sources with attention to their rhetorical context;
• Employ dialectic thinking using thesis, antithesis, and synthesis;
• Demonstrate engagement with sources and wrestling with ideas to explore the research question;
• Document the evolution of the writer's thinking by recounting the research process and subsequent analysis;
• Employ editing strategies appropriate to the audience and purpose to cultivate a convincing scholarly ethos.