answer this question: Is it possible to avoid Eurocentrism in the study of the state?

1. In the introduction (1 paragraph) present the general thesis you want to defend. A thesis is just a very concise general answer which you will then defend in the rest of the essay. For example, if an essay question is “Should private schools be banned?”, a thesis can be “The government should ban all private schools,” or “the government should ban private schools that charge more than £20,000 a year in fees” or “the government should not ban private schools, but require that all private schools admit half of their students for free.” This introduction should also present the general structure of your essay, which is typically 1-2 arguments in defence of your thesis, followed by a potential objection and then response (more on that next). 

2. In the rest of the essay, you should present reasons that the thesis is correct. A good way to do this is to present one or two core arguments in support of your thesis. An argument often requires defending a general principle, and then showing why the principle implies that your thesis is correct. For example, if you were to defend the thesis “The government should ban all private schools,” you could first defend the principle of equality of opportunity (this principle holds that the government should ensure everyone has equal opportunities in life, and nobody is worse off through no fault of their own). This defence of a general principle needn’t (and perhaps shouldn’t) directly address the topic of private schools, but just defend the principle in general in 1-3 paragraphs. You then show that this principle can only be progressed if the government bans private schools. This should take another 1-3 paragraphs. 

3. After presenting one or two arguments in support of your thesis, a good essay will present a potential objection to one of your arguments. A good idea is to devote 1-3 paragraphs explaining this objection. For example, if your core argument is that equality of opportunity is an important principle, and implies that private schools should be banned, you could raise the objection that banning private schools won’t actually increase equality or opportunity, as wealthy parents will just pay for private tutors, or move to areas with very good state schools. Or the objection could be that equality of opportunity is not very valuable in general; what matters is whether a policy protects individual liberty, and banning private schools undermines individual liberty. 

4. Finally, the essay can explain why the objection fails, and so your thesis stands. For example, you might respond to the objection above by arguing that true liberty requires freedom from poverty, because poverty means individuals cannot protect their security. Banning private schools will decrease poverty, and so increase liberty. Or you could argue that liberty does not matter in the face of extreme inequality, and so banning schools is justified to prevent today’s extreme inequality. You could also present two responses to your objection: you could say liberty does not matter as much as stopping inequality, but even if liberty does matter, banning private schools will actually increase liberty. This part of the essay could be 2-3 paragraphs, but there are no strict rules. The goal is to ensure you truly respond to the objection.  

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