What is the social problem? Who claims it is a problem, what are their claims, and why are they claiming the issue as a social problem?
Organizing an Exploratory Essay
An exploratory paper is, in essence, a retrospective of your writing and thinking process as you work through a social problem. It describes when, how, and why you completed certain types of research. This kind of writing is about how you work through problems that require writing and research. You will have to be introspective and think about your thinking process in order for your essay to turn out well.
Very roughly, then, your exploratory paper may follow this sort of structure:
Introduction
The introduction should outline the problem you explored and why it’s important. In addition, you should briefly discuss 1) some of the problem’s possible causes; 2) the institutions and people involved with the problem; 3) some of the possible solutions to the problem. A brief overview of the types of sources your researched during your inquiry.
Body Paragraphs
Body paragraphs should discuss the inquiry process you followed to research your problem. These paragraphs should include the following:
- Introduction of sources (title, author, type of media, publisher, publication date, etc.) and why you chose to use each in your exploration;
- Important information you found in the sources regarding your problem;
- Why the information is important and dependable in relation to the problem;
- Some personal introspection on how the sources helped you, allowed you to think differently about the problem, or even fell short of your expectations and led you in a new direction in your research.
Conclusion
The conclusion should restate the problem you explored, outline some of its possible causes, review the institutions and people involved, and highlight some possible solutions. If you still have any questions about the problem (and it’s ok to have some), you will discuss them here. Talk about why you think you still have questions regarding the problem you explored, where you might look to answer these questions, and what other forms of research you would have to do.
Requirements for Step 3:
- Building on the previous parts of the assignment, write a 5 page research paper, 12 pt., typed, and double spaced.
- The paper should address these central questions:
- What is the social problem?
- Who claims it is a problem, what are their claims, and why are they claiming the issue as a social problem? Are there competing claims about the nature and extent of the social problem?
- How well does existing empirical evidence support these claims?
- What does the evidence tell us about who is affected by the problem? What are the causes and/or consequences of the problem?
- What solutions are being proposed to address the problem?
- You need to have a work cited page. The paper will be graded for both content and writing quality. Please re-read, proofread, and revise your work before turning it in.
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