CRIMINOLOGY: ESSAY OUTLINE
Friendly Reminders:
- Do not fluff in class. Do not be vague or cute when you are writing. “Community Policinghas changed the way we do criminology” or “who knows where criminology would be without early theories”
- Do not use contractions. You “can’t or shouldn’t use them”
- Indent your paragraphs and watch for run on sentences as they never end and they jam way too much information into one sentence and the readers has a difficult time following along because there are simply too many ideas. (This is a run on sentence)
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TOPIC (write question here): ______
Title of Essay (“Criminology Essay” is not good enough)
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A.INTRODUCTION
Sentence #1-2:Introduce your topic in an interesting way. Try a little-known fact, an interesting observation or quote. You can also describe the person or event in dramatic and descriptive ways and then reveal who or what you are describing.
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Sentences #3 – 5: Providesome background information on the topic in point form. What was happening at the time?What led up to the event you are going to be discussing? Assume the person reading this knows nothing of the topic.
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Sentence #6:Your claim (in simple or complex form). This sentence should follow logically from your previous sentences and reflect their content. Here you should make reference to the topic and include the main idea or points you will prove in the body of your composition. They should be combined into one sentence
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B. BODY PARAGRAPHS
Each Body Paragraph must begin with a premise (topic sentence) that states one main reason your claim is true.
Each Body Paragraph must contain proofs (support with examples) to defend your premise.
Each Body Paragraph must close with a concluding sentence that shows that the premise has been proven.
BODY PARAGRAPH # 1:
Premise/topic sentence: ______
Proof (supporting point) # 1: ______
Proof (supporting point) # 2: ______
Proof (supporting point) # 3: ______
Concluding sentence (the so what sentence which connects back to your thesis/main argument)______
------End of Body Paragraph # 1------
BODY PARAGRAPH # 2:
Transition Sentence (links the key point from the previous paragraph with the new key point for the upcoming paragraph):
“While the proximity of community police stations have made their presence a deterrent, they also make police work more proactive.”
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Premise/topic sentence: ______
Proof (supporting point) # 1: ______
Proof (supporting point) # 2: ______
Proof (supporting point) # 3: ______
Concluding sentence (the “so what” sentence which connects back to your thesis/main argument)______
------End of Body Paragraph # 2------
BODY PARAGRAPH # 3:
Transition Sentence (don’t you dare try to use thirdly or finally here):
“While the proactive nature of community policing has shown a strong deterrence there is no better deterrence than personal relationships between the public and the police.”
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Premise/topic sentence: ______
Proof (supporting point) # 1: ______
Proof (supporting point) # 2: ______
Proof (supporting point) # 3: ______
Concluding sentence (the so what sentence which connects back to your thesis/main argument)______
------End of Body Paragraph # 3------
C.CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH:
Sentence #1: Re-state your claim. Practice re-writing your claim using different words (synonyms) to describe your 3 main points. Try placing your 3 points before the topic. ______
Sentences #2-4: Paraphrase (don’t repeat) your three premises to remind the reader the proof for your claim.
Paraphrase of topic sentence # 1: ______
Paraphrase of topic sentence # 2: ______
Paraphrase of topic sentence # 3: ______
Final sentence: what are the implications of your claim? What happened or may happen as a result?Or you might answer the question, so what? Why should the reader care? How does it affect them? Do not end with a question.
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