Prior to this, I had to make a project about a topic I feel strongly about. I did my topic on the Death Penalty and how and why I believe it is wrong. This is the following section that needs to be done. It is a 2500 word essay that is based on the theme of the Death Penalty. I am also from England, so if you could be careful to do British spelling that would be great, obviously if you don’t know i can fix it towards the end. Part 1. Introduction [approx. 250 words] Outline the case you are going to present, what material you are going to draw on, and what conclusions you are going to come to. Part 2. Literature review [approx. 1000 words] Describe/paraphrase what you have found in your research. The aim of this section is to develop and support your argument. What have other scholars written about this subject, how can their positions, evidence, and approaches help in furthering or explaining your argument? In a literature review, it is essential that you present the findings of other scholars – it is not necessary at this stage to analyse or critique them. That comes in the next section … So, here, you might note that theorist A says X as does theorist B, while theorist C disagrees saying Z. Think back to your research summaries – that is the style of writing and approach we want you to take in a literature review but here we want you to think about how different pieces of research relate to one another rather than just summarising one at a time. Don’t limit yourself to just ‘academic’ materials here. We want you to be looking at books, journals etc. but also think about how the questions you are interested in are dealt with in the popular media. Part 3. Discussion, analysis and argument [approx. 1000 words] What is being debated in your essay? What are the key concepts/ideas? What argument are you making in relation to the importance of media studies? Over what do the writers you have drawn on elsewhere in your essay differ (evidence, models, theory)? Most importantly, how does the material you have gathered, researched, and read relate to/help you to resolve the essay question? Part 4. Conclusion [approx. 250 words] Much like the introduction, this should restate the aims of the essay, remind the reader of the evidence and argument you have presented, and confirm your conclusion. You should not introduce new material or ideas here. This section should summarise what comes earlier in the essay. Part 5. Bibliography [Not included in the word count]
