How can you move beyond cheesy, high-school approaches to introductions and conclusions? This presentation first describes the moves necessary to an introduction, then helps students revise the thesis (by checking the conclusion and narrating to a friend at a coffee shop what the paper is about), then outlines the 4 most common overused hooks in introductions, and finally offers several alternatives for a more scholarly approach.

1. Who cut the cheese?
You did.
Non-Cheesy Introductions and Conclusions
Rachael Wendler, University of Arizona

2. Moves in an Introduction?
State Thesis
Get Attention Provide Background (+ Partitio?)

3. The Epic Thesis

4. Check the conclusion.

5. Top 4
Cheesetastic
High School
Hooks

6. 1. The Historical Sweep
“Since the dawn of
time…”
“For centuries…”
INSTEAD:
Link to recent news

7. 2. Overdramatic or Tired
Rhetorical Question
“Can money ever buy happiness?”
“What is love?”
INSTEAD: A genuine, quirky rhetorical question

8. 3. The Dictionary Definition
“Webster’s Dictionary defines
love as…”
INSTEAD: An interesting definition by a scholar

9. 4. The Boring Overgeneralization
“Helping others is a
basic human
impulse valued in
all cultures.”
INSTEAD: Challenge a common belief or generalization

10. Take me to the text.

11. A provocative
quote by a scholar.

12. Tell a story.

13. Use concrete
detail.

14. They Say/I Say.

15. The Middle:
Connect
Provide Background

16. Freshen up your conclusion.

17. Remix, Don’t
Restate
So What?
Call for more
research
Link to Intro
Leave a thought

18. Creative Commons Image Credits
• Argument: Elisivefish
• Remix: AmadeusRecord
• Computer Smirk: Cygnoir
• Dawn of Time: Steward Black
• Epic: Rambling Cover
• Cheese: Nhanusek
• Question: Christoper Verdler
• Story: Boston Public Library
• Wheelbarrow: Mike Kazimer
• Dictionary: Howard Lake
• Dance: Brandon Heyer
• Yawn: MBShane
• Hide and Seek: KDH3
• Cheesehead: EarlWhatISaw2
• Text Power: Andrew Mason
• Fresh: Katherine Martinelli