As we’ve learned and practiced, academic essays are intelligent, thoughtful responses to a specific problem or question. In particular, academic essays try to address and explore interpretive or intellectual problems i.e. problems with how we understand the world. So, how do academics find problems?
There are five ways that academics identify intellectual or interpretive problems. Note that we first begin with thoughtful observation about an exhibit (the “thing” you’re analyzing) and/or the conversations surrounding it.
Each of these types of problems can be transformed into specific questions based on the details of your observation. For example, if you observe that there is significant pattern within your exhibit, you might ask questions, such as:
What is the purpose or function of this pattern? How does it impact meaning? How it important to the exhibit?
- Observe that your exhibit is a significant example of a larger pattern or trend.
- Observe that your exhibit is a significant anomaly or deviation from a larger pattern or trend.
- Observe that there are significant patterns or significant anomalies within your exhibit.
- Observe that there is an existing or ongoing debate about your exhibit.
- Observe that prevailing viewpoints about your exhibit seem to overlook significant aspects of your exhibit.
The intellectual questions that you pose serve to develop your analysis, claims, and thesis, so they should be open-ended and begin with “how.”
