Agnew’s general strain theory–property crime among individuals from marginalized communities.

How to frame your essays

• Format:
• Introduction- 5
• Should be the shortest section of your paper. Roughly 1/3 of a page.
• Provide a few sentences outlining your assignment. Include a thesis statement here.
• Your thesis is a statement that should be either accepted or rejected by the end of your paper in your conclusion.
• How to develop a thesis: [insert theory here] explains/partly explains [topic] because of [reasons suggested by theory/literature].
• Sam’s pro-tip: write your introduction last. Start with a rough thesis but refine it once you’ve finished the paper.
• Sam’s example: “Agnew’s general strain theory can provide a framework for understanding how strain, stemming from societal discrimination and internalized homophobia can lead to intimate partner violence among gay cisgender men.”
• Identify the issue- 30
• Roughly 1-1.5 pages. This section should be shorter than the theoretical perspective section.
• Draw on scholarly sources.
• Describe the type of crime and provide an overview of the key issues from the literature on your topic.
• Be selective with what you include. Only include information that you analyze in the following section.
• Sam’s pro-tip: Do not organize this section by each scholarly article. You will NOT get a strong grade in this section if you do so. Instead, organize this section by theme.
• Sam’s example: I would organize this section in three paragraphs: (1) what is IPV in the context of gay relationships? (2) societal discrimination/IPV and (2) internalized homophobia/IPV among cis-gay men.
• Theoretical perspectives- 40
• Roughly 2 pages. This should be the longest section of your paper.
• Choose one of the permitted sociological theories from the assignment outline.
1. Identify and define the theory, as well as its underpinning concepts.
2. Apply the theory based on the evidence you gathered from the scholarly sources in the previous section.
• Demonstrate critical knowledge of the material through a thoughtful application of the theory to your topic.
• Sam’s example: First, I would have to define Agnew’s GST and unpack its concepts/tenets.
• Sam’s example: After defining GST, I would have to explain here how STRAIN from societal discrimination and internalized homophobia can manifest into gay relationship conflicts, and how individuals may resort to intimate partner violence as a result.
• Be sure to cite at least 3 scholarly sources in this section.
• Strengths and weaknesses- 15
• Roughly 0.75 pages.
• In this section, identify the strengths and weaknesses of applying the theory to your topic. Be very critical here.
• What helpful insights do we learn when we apply the theory to the topic? What things are overlooked if we only apply this theory and disregard others? Are there any other theories (from your scholarly sources, for example) that might do a better job at explaining the topic?
• Sam’s example: Agnew’s GST does a good job at explaining how strain can lead to gay IPV, but strain alone is not the be-all end-all theory to understand the complexity of gay IPV.
• Conclusion- 5
• Should only be a few sentences. Barely over 1/3 of a page.
• Confirm or reject your thesis statement here.
• Make sure your conclusion reflects what you set out to do in the introduction.
• Sam’s pro-tip: Do NOT bring in any new information here
• Sam’s example: “Through examining the role of societal discrimination and internalized homophobia in producing relationship-related strain, Agnew’s general strain theory can help explain intimate partner violence among gay cisgender men. However, as suggested by the literature, strain is not the only explanation for the prevalence of IPV. So, X, Y, or Z theories might be better suited to fully understand the complexity of IPV in gay relationships.”
• Mechanics- 5
• Review assignment outline for detailed notes on mechanics.
• Note on “I” statements: Avoid “I think” or “I feel” or “I believe”—these are sentiments. If you really want to write in first-person, write “I argue” because it forces you to back up your statement with supporting evidence.
• Note on excessively long paragraphs: A paragraph should only contain one idea. As a general rule of thumb for undergraduate writing, your paragraphs should NOT be longer than 0.5 to 0.75 of a page. If your paragraphs are too long, be sure to break them down