The exploratory essay allows inquiry into an issue without the task of answering the question, or proving the side that is most correct.  The exploratory essay allows the writer to respond, in the first person, to the readings on the subject/theme/claim/thesis, and to ask a problematic question of the material for further research. This assignment has three parts, but should NOT be written as if it is a report breaking down into three sections.

Part I. Choose a question and/or an issue that interests you most from either the articles we have read as a class, or from one you have found independently. If you did not start with a problematic question involving your chosen issue, devise one. A problematic question is one that is not easily answered yes or no, requires some to much research to try to answer it, and usually starts with either how or why. Once you have the question, then express, in one to two paragraphs, your initial opinion about, or answer to your question.

Part II. Explore the resources in the Library (with the help of the Reference Librarian, or any of several databases online). Write the main section of the paper by summarizing each source (review summary rules), and then, responding to the claim of that source concerning your main theme. Remember in the response you can express your opinion and use first person. Also, test your own opinions, and explore the issue by including at least one source that is counter to your own position at the time of writing. Discuss the strengths and weakness of the arguments you encounter. This is not just a fact-finding paper. It is an interactive project. The interaction is between you, the writer, and your audience.

Part III. The conclusion of your paper will be a statement of your thinking after the process of inquiry, and an explanation of the truth you have found as a result of your conversations and readings. Think of exploration as the process of arriving at a strong claim. Ideally, in the conclusion of your exploratory essay, you will state a claim whose truth you have tested and earned.