Among all Unified State Exam subjects The 2019 social studies exam will traditionally be popular, which means that today 11th graders should ask what the structure of an essay should be, as well as what cliches can be used when writing a mini-essay.
We propose to analyze in more detail the features of task No. 29 of KIMs in social studies, and also find out what advice experienced teachers and USE tutors give to graduates.
What will change in the Unified State Examination in social studies in 2019
Due to changes that affect tasks 25, 28 and 29, the total primary score The 2019 Unified State Exam in society will increase to 65 points (in 2018 this parameter was 64 points).
FIPI officially announced that the following changes are planned:
Read more about the changes that will come into force in the 2018-2019 academic year in the document.
For an essay, the specifications allow 45 minutes, but tutors recommend leaving at least 60-90 minutes for a mini-essay out of the total exam time, which in 2019 is 235 minutes (almost 4 hours).
Criteria for assessing a mini-essay/essay (task 29) at the Unified State Exam in social studies in 2019
(compiled based on Demo version KIM Unified State Exam 2019 in social studies)
| № | Criteria for assessing a mini-essay | Points |
| 29.1 | Revealing the meaning of a statement | 1 point |
| The meaning of the statement is revealed: one or more main ideas related to the content of the social science course are correctly identified, and/or one or more theses are formulated in the context of the statement, which require justification. | 1 point | |
| The meaning of the statement is not revealed: not a single main idea is highlighted / not a single thesis is formulated. OR The highlighted idea, the formulated thesis does not reflect the meaning of the statement / the meaning of the statement has been replaced by reasoning of a general nature (“homework”) that does not reflect the specifics of the proposed statement. OR Disclosure of the meaning is replaced by a direct retelling/paraphrasing of the given statement/sequential explanation of each word in the statement without explaining the meaning of the statement as a whole. |
0 points | |
| Assessment instructions: If 0 points are assigned according to criterion 29.1, then 0 points are assigned for all other evaluation criteria. |
||
| 29.2 | Theoretical content of the mini-essay: explanation of the key concept(s), presence and correctness of theoretical provisions | 2 points |
| In the context of at least one highlighted idea / one thesis, correct ones from the point of view of scientific social science(no errors) explanations of key concept(s) and theoretical concepts. | 2 points | |
| In the context of at least one highlighted idea / one thesis, explanations of the key concept(s) that are correct from the point of view of scientific social science (without errors) are given; theoretical positions are not presented. OR In the context of at least one highlighted idea / one thesis, theoretical provisions that are correct from the point of view of scientific social science (without errors) are presented, the meaning of the key concept(s) is not disclosed. OR In the given explanations of the key concept(s) / theoretical provisions, there are some inaccuracies that do not distort the scientific meaning of these concepts, theoretical provisions |
1 point | |
| All other situations not provided for by the rules for assigning 2 and 1 points, including if there is no theoretical content of the mini-essay: the meaning of the key concept(s) is not explained, theoretical provisions are not given or are not related to the main idea/ thesis, do not reveal the meaning of the statement. OR Reasoning of an everyday nature is given without relying on social science knowledge. |
0 points | |
| 29.3 | Theoretical content of the mini-essay: the presence and correctness of reasoning and conclusions. | 1 point |
| In the context of at least one highlighted idea / one thesis based on the correct explanation(s) of the key concept(s), theoretical provisions, interconnected consistent and consistent reasoning is presented, on the basis of which a well-founded and a conclusion that is reliable from the point of view of scientific social science. | 1 point | |
| All other situations, including reasoning and conclusions of an everyday nature without relying on social science knowledge. | 0 points | |
| 29.4 | Quality of social facts and examples provided | 2 points |
| Adapted from various sources at least two correct, comprehensively formulated facts/examples that confirm the illustrated idea/thesis/position/reasoning/conclusion and do not duplicate each other in content. There is a clear connection between each fact/example and the idea/thesis/position/reasoning/conclusion given in the essay. |
2 points | |
| Only one correct, fully formulated fact/example is given that confirms the illustrated idea/thesis/position/reasoning/conclusion. There is a clear connection between this fact/example and the idea/thesis/proposition/reasoning/conclusion given in the essay. OR Correct, well-formulated facts/examples are cited from sources of the same type that confirm the illustrated idea/thesis/proposition/reasoning/conclusion. There is a clear connection between each fact/example and the idea/thesis/position/reasoning/conclusion given in the essay. OR Two examples from sources are given different types, duplicating each other in content. There is a clear connection between each fact/example and the idea/thesis/position/reasoning/conclusion given in the essay. |
1 point | |
| All other situations not covered by the rules for assigning 2 and 1 points. | 0 points | |
| Assessment instructions: Facts can be used as sources public life(including according to media reports), personal social experience (including books read, films watched), materials educational subjects(history, geography, etc.). 1. Examples from different academic subjects are considered as examples from various sources; 2. Facts/examples containing factual and semantic errors that lead to a significant distortion of the essence of the statement or indicate a lack of understanding of the historical, literary, geographical and (or) other material used are not counted in the assessment. |
0 points | |
| Maximum score - 6 |
Essay structure
3. The meaning of the statement.
4. Own point of view.
5. Argumentation at the theoretical level.
6. At least two examples from social practice, history and/or literature confirming the correctness of the opinions expressed.
1. Choice of statement
Choosing statements for an essay, you must be sure that
You know the basic concepts of the basic science to which it relates;
Clearly understand the meaning of the statement;
You can express your own opinion (fully or partially agree with the statement or refute it);
You know the social science terms necessary to competently substantiate a personal position at a theoretical level (the terms and concepts used must clearly correspond to the topic of the essay and not go beyond it);
Be able to give examples from social practice, history, literature, as well as personal life experience to confirm your own opinion.
2. Definition of the problem of the statement
For a clearer formulation of the problem, we offer a list of possible formulations of problems that occur most often.
After formulating the problem, you must indicate relevance of the problem V modern conditions. To do this, you can use cliche phrases:
This problem is relevant in the conditions…
...globalization public relations;
…formation of a unified information, educational, economic space;
...exacerbation global problems modernity;
...of a particularly controversial nature scientific discoveries and inventions;
…development of international integration;
...modern market economy;
…development and overcoming the global economic crisis;
...strict differentiation of society;
...open social structure modern society;
...formation rule of law;
...overcoming the spiritual and moral crisis;
…dialogue of cultures;
…the need to preserve one’s own identity and traditional spiritual values.
To the problem it is necessary come back periodically throughout the essay writing process. This is necessary in order to correctly reveal its content, and also not to accidentally go beyond the scope of the problem and not get carried away by reasoning that is not related to the meaning of this statement (this is one of the most common mistakes in many exam essays).
3. Formulation of the main idea of the statement
Next, you need to reveal the meaning of the statement, but you should not repeat the statement verbatim. In this case, you can use the following cliches:
“The meaning of this statement is that...”
4. Determining your position on the statement
Here you can agree with the author completely, Can partially, refuting a certain part of the statement, or argue with the author, expressing the opposite opinion. In this case, you can use cliche phrases:
“Have you ever thought about the fact that...?”
5-6. Argumentation of your own opinion
Next, you should justify your own opinion on this issue. To do this, you need to select arguments (evidence), that is, remember the basic terms and theoretical positions.
Argumentation must be carried out at two levels:
1. Theoretical level
- its basis is social science knowledge (concepts, terms, contradictions, directions of scientific thought, relationships, as well as the opinions of scientists and thinkers).
2. Empirical level
- There are two options here:
a) using examples from history, literature and events in society;
b) appeal to personal experience.
When selecting facts, examples from public life and personal social experience, mentally answer the following questions:
1. Do they confirm my opinion?
2. Could they be interpreted differently?
3. Do they contradict the thesis I expressed?
4. Are they persuasive?
The proposed form will make it possible to strictly control the adequacy of the arguments presented and will prevent “going off topic”.
7. Conclusion
Finally, you need to formulate a conclusion. The conclusion should not coincide verbatim with the judgment given for justification: it brings together in one or two sentences, the main ideas of the arguments and summarizes the reasoning, confirming the correctness or incorrectness of the judgment that was the topic of the essay.
To formulate a problematic conclusion, cliche phrases can be used:
“Thus, we can conclude...”
"Letting us down common feature, I would like to note that..."
Main mistakes and shortcomings in graduates’ works
Analysis of graduates’ works allows us to highlight some typical mistakes, which are allowed at various stages of essay writing.
When formulating the problem and the meaning of the author’s statement:
1) On the one hand, misunderstanding and inability to isolate the problem of the statement is associated with a lack of knowledge of the basic science to which the quotation relates, and on the other hand, with an attempt to fit into known problems discussed in lessons in previously written, read, that is, ready-made essay.
2) The inability to formulate a problem is often associated with a lack of developed vocabulary and terminology in basic social sciences.
3) The inability to formulate the meaning of the author’s statement is associated with a misunderstanding or incorrect understanding of its content, and a lack of necessary social science knowledge.
4) Substitution of the problem with the author's position - due to the fact that the student does not see the difference between them. The problem is the topic of the author's discussion. It is always broad and includes several opinions and positions, often completely opposite to each other. The essence or meaning of the author's statement is his personal answer to the question posed, one of several existing in science or social thought.
When expressing and arguing your own position:
1. The lack of arguments is due to the student’s ignorance or ignorance of the requirements for an essay in social studies and its structure.
2. The graduate’s argument only repeats the statement.
3. Errors in operations with concepts: unjustified expansion or narrowing of the meaning of the concept in question, substitution of concepts.
4. Errors in working with information caused by inability to analyze social experience. Often, the examples given by graduates are weakly related to the position under consideration (the connection is either not traceable or is superficial and does not reflect essential points).
5. Uncritical perception of social information from media reports and the Internet. As a result, unverified facts, unfounded or provocative statements, and biased assessments are often used by graduates as evidence in essays.
6. The predominance of a one-sided view of social phenomena, the inability to identify and build cause-and-effect relationships.
Topics for 2019
No one knows exactly what statements will be offered to 11th graders in 2018-2019. There is a certain bank of problems that are relevant to the main topics of social science, which can be guided by in preparation for the Unified State Exam.
Clichés for a mini-essay
Is it worth looking? ready-made essays for the Unified State Exam in social studies?
In fact, the idea of finding and learning ready-made essay options comes to many graduates at the stage of preparing for exams. But you should be especially careful here, because there is a lot of irrelevant information on the Internet. Even the examples posted on the FIPI website are works from 2013, and since then there have been many changes in the evaluation criteria for this task. Moreover, you should not expect to receive high score for a standard version of an essay, because experts who have been working on the Unified State Examination for many years now also know these texts very well.
Conclusion - you need to look not for a ready-made text, but for clichés and clever thoughts that can be “strung” onto the above structure, getting your own unique essay for the Unified State Exam 2019. We offer you a selection of such preparations:
Secrets of a good mini-essay
In order for your essay to be holistic, concise, but at the same time deeply revealing the essence of the problem, you must:
- Understand the essence of the problem. Do not take statements whose problem you do not initially understand.
- Choose the right quote. This important stage, which should be given enough time at the preparation stage.
- Build a chain of reasoning. All blocks of a mini-essay must be interconnected. It is recommended to periodically return to the main idea of the statement in the text.
- Consider the issue from different points of view, if any..
- Find the right examples.
Here are a few useful tips, which will help you select examples and arguments that the new structure of an essay in social studies requires, taking into account the innovations of 2019:
Also watch the video lesson on completing task No. 29 in the Unified State Exam in social studies for the 2018-2019 academic year:
An essay on the Unified State Exam in social studies should be related to social psychology, philosophy, sociology, and economics. Let's analyze the rules and features of its preparation, which will help a school graduate get a high score on the Unified State Exam.
Essay requirements
What should an essay on the Unified State Exam include? In social studies, the main points have been developed that a graduate of an educational institution should reflect in his work. The student must base his material on specific statements of thinkers related to the main topic of the essay, provide generalizations, concepts, terms, facts, specific examples, which would confirm his position. What else should an essay on the Unified State Exam contain? Social studies implies strict compliance with a certain structure, which was created by teachers of this discipline in order to facilitate the task of schoolchildren.
From the social studies course we know about two main directions of development: progress and regression. In addition, society can develop as a result of evolution, revolution, reform. I believe that the author has in mind precisely the evolutionary movement forward, facilitating a smooth transition from primitive to perfect, from simple to complex.
What could humanity rely on as it continues to move forward? Without developing new technologies: alternative sources, biotechnology - modern society can no longer survive. That is why it is so important to be based on scientific discoveries and achievements. For example, after man mastered thermonuclear fusion, humanity had a chance to generate inexpensive electrical energy.
In addition to technology and science, morality can be considered an important pillar of progress. The moral foundations that were developed human society over a long period of its existence, should not cause harm to humans.
I believe that even in an innovative society it is important to maintain hard work, dignity, honor, and goodness. How does a person use the Internet, which has become greatest invention last century? What are the main goals of a child who turns on his laptop? I believe that the application modern computers must be thoughtful, purposeful, justified. For example, it is ideal for self-education, self-improvement, and self-development.
Innovative technologies should not turn a person into a stupid creature who has lost honor, dignity, freedom, and creativity. In the future, in my opinion, only those societies that, in addition to technological progress, take Special attention principles of humanism and equality.
Only if family and religion are preserved can we talk about progress.
Sociology essay option
“Communication ennobles and elevates: in society a person involuntarily, without any pretense, behaves differently than in solitude” (L. Feuerbach)
I support the position of the author who raised current problem communication between people. The issue is so important today that it deserves full study and consideration. Many people withdraw into themselves and stop communicating because they do not know the culture of relationships. The main problem raised by the author is the importance of the educational function. From the social studies course, we learned that activity is a form of activity that allows a person to transform the world, to change the person himself. It is during conversations and conversations that people learn to understand each other. What is the main educational and socializing function of human communication? It enables parents to pass on to their children the basics of the family’s cultural traditions, to learn the basics of respect for adults, nature, native land. We learn to communicate not only in the family, but also at school, in the company of friends. If parents constantly yell at their children, a closed, complex personality grows in the family. I believe that human communication should not be turned into chatter; it should act as a factor for human development and improvement.
Tips for working with task C9.
When choosing a topic, a graduate should be guided by the following considerations: “I am sure that ...
1) I understand the meaning of the statement;
2) I know what the main problems of social science are related to this topic;
3) I will be able to express my attitude to the statement;
4) I know the terms;
5) I will be able to give examples from history, social life, own experience».
1) the essay should begin with a clear and precise definition of personal position: “I agree with this opinion”; “I cannot agree with this statement”; “There is something in this statement that I agree with, and that. which seems controversial to me";
2) in the next sentence it is appropriate to formulate an understanding of the statement that became the topic of the essay;
3) the main part of the essay is a relatively detailed statement of your own opinion regarding the problem posed;
4) it is advisable that each paragraph of the essay contains only one main idea;
5) the final sentence (paragraph) summarizes the results of the work.
Example 1
“It is not the art of acquiring that one should learn, but the art of spending.” (I. Sgobey)
1. The author argues that consumers need to learn how to spend their income rationally before purchasing goods and services.
2. It's about on issues related to consumer economics.
3. I completely agree (disagree) with this statement.
4. Terms: income and expenses, limited resources, family budget, consumer behavior, consumption structure.
5. Examples: Russian nobles of the 18th - early 20th centuries... who lived “beyond their means”; some “new Russians” of the 1990s.
Additional information welcome:
1) brief information about the author of the statement (for example: I. Kant, the founder of German classical philosophy);
2) the names of his predecessors, followers or scientific opponents;
3) descriptions various points perspective on the problem or different approaches to its solution;
4) indications of the polysemy of the concepts and terms used with justification for the meaning in which they are used in the essay;
5) indications of alternative solutions to the problem.
So, the topic has been chosen. The next step is to properly structure your thoughts. In general, the structure of an essay might look like this.
"Under a pile of money may be buried human soul"(N. Hawthorne, American writer, 19th century)
1. Write the title of the topic and the name of the author again.
I paragraph
The statement of N. Hawthorne, an American writer, points to the problem of human immorality. This problem is also relevant for modern society. In our time, immorality has become so strongly integrated into a person’s personality that it leads to the commission of crimes.
II paragraph
Presentation of the author's point of view on the issue. The outstanding American writer N. Hawthorne in his statement talks about the influence of money on a person’s life, on his character, on his moral qualities. One cannot but agree with N. Hawthorne's point of view. As a person becomes richer, he “loses” his moral and ethical qualities. By receiving money, a person gains power. And having gained power over others, a person is deprived of all rationality.
III paragraph(theoretical justification of the point of view)
Morality is the degree to which an individual assimilates the moral values of society. A person’s moral consciousness is a reflection in a person’s consciousness of the attitude towards moral standards. This statement can be confirmed by statements (opinions) famous people(examples are given - quotes) Many active individuals discussed human morality, for example. Carlyle Thomas, who argued that “Cash is not the only connection between man and man.” There are sayings about that. that “money has no morals,” “money spoils a person.” And it’s difficult to resist this. Because in fact, this is how it is.
IV. Examples
The problem of the influence of money on personality was also touched upon famous writers. In his story “Hero of Our Time,” M. Yu. Lermontov reveals the essence of people who, at the head of everything, set the goal of acquiring wealth at any cost. So. the brother of the main character, in order to get a horse, decided to give his sister At the same time, the gypsy came up with a plan according to which it was conditionally impossible to involve him in committing an inhumane act.
V. Argumentation(own experience).
The influence of money on a person can be observed in Everyday life, you just have to turn on the TV. On any channel you can see news that talks about a crime committed for selfish purposes. How much do they show? legal proceedings, in which relatives go to extreme measures(including murder) for the sake of obtaining a will.
VI. Conclusion
Returning to the topic raised, I can say that the problem of immorality in the country, as it was, will remain so until then. until the state establishes supervision over the observance of moral norms, since the problem of immorality is too great and cannot be “destroyed” without government intervention.
For other materials for essays and more, see the section
One of the most difficult tasks The Unified State Examination in social studies involves writing an essay on any of the proposed topics. By its nature, this is a small creative essay in which you need to express your thoughts about the problem raised, as well as provide arguments to justify them. In this case, it is necessary to use information obtained from the social studies course, as well as facts from public life and one’s own life.
1. What is a social studies essay?
Philologists and literary scholars identify the following genre features of essays:
- presence of a specific topic or question;
- the personal nature of the perception of the problem and its understanding;
- small volume;
- free composition;
- fluency in the topic;
- multidimensional view of the phenomenon;
- internal semantic unity;
- consistency of key theses and statements, consistency of those judgments in which a personal position is expressed.
These features are also typical for essays in social science, but its specificity is manifested in the fact that the work is performed on a specific problem related to a specific section of social science, i.e. to one of the six basic humanities: philosophy, economics, sociology, social psychology, political science, jurisprudence.
The purpose of the essay is to reveal the meaning of the statement, as well as present and justify one’s own position. In this case, the arguments are social scientific terms and concepts, theoretical provisions and conclusions, as well as facts from social or personal experience.
2. Criteria for assessing essays in social studies.
Despite the creative nature, the content of an essay in social studies is subject to very specific, clear requirements.
Among the criteria by which the completion of task 36 is assessed, criterion K1 is decisive. If the examinee, in principle, did not reveal (or revealed incorrectly) the meaning of the statement and the expert gave 0 points according to criterion K1, then the answer is not checked further. For the remaining criteria (K2, K3), 0 points are given in the protocol for checking tasks with a detailed answer.
3. Organization of essay writing work.
There are several stages in working on an essay:
- Writing an essay in draft form.
- Analysis of text content.
- Checking the style, logic and consistency of the material presented.
- Application necessary changes and writing the final draft.
3.1. Social studies essay structure.
Despite the free compositional structure of the essay, it must contain parts that will create general structure work, a kind of skeleton, built according to certain principles.
- Introduction(formulation of the problem (meaning) of the statement, expression of one’s own attitude). The introduction takes up approximately 20% of the total length of the essay.
- Main part(theses and their argumentation, expression of personal opinion). The main part takes up approximately 60% of the total essay.
- Conclusion(conclusions, conclusions). The conclusion takes up approximately 20% of the total essay.
3.2. Working with a draft.
To work on a social studies essay, a draft is required. Often students do not know what a draft is, and write it as a “white” (final) version of the work: the same densely written sheet, without margins and icons - the only difference is that it is written carelessly. Such a draft is not convenient for work, since it does not allow improving the text, supplementing it with new provisions, correcting wording, or making amendments. For convenience, the draft sheets should contain wide margins, to make corrections and additions that appear in the process of re-reading and editing the original text. You only need to write on one side of the sheet, since on the back you can write down quotes and examples that can be used to clarify thoughts, confirm or refute judgments.
Next, you need to remember what elements are included in the structure of the essay. And here we can recommend that students create a kind of form or matrix in their draft, identifying the main structural elements of the future essay, leaving a certain place after writing each of them.
- Quote.
- The problem raised by the author, its relevance.
- The meaning of the statement.
- Own point of view.
- Theoretical argumentation.
- Factual argument.
- Conclusion.
3.3. Selecting a topic.
When choosing a statement for an essay, you must be sure that:
- know the basic concepts of the basic science to which it relates;
- clearly understand the meaning of the statement;
- you can express your own opinion (fully or partially agree with the statement or refute it;
- know the social science terms necessary to competently substantiate a personal position at a theoretical level (the terms and concepts used must clearly correspond to the topic of the essay and not go beyond it);
- you will be able to give examples from social practice, history, literature, as well as personal life experience to confirm your own opinion.
The result of your thoughts is conscious choice quotes for work. Write it down in the first section of your draft.
In column 2, enter the formulated problem (topic) of the statement.
3.4. Definition and formulation of the problem.
To formulate the problem more clearly, we offer a list of possible problem formulations that occur most often:
Main problems of basic social sciences and humanities
Philosophy
- The relationship between matter and consciousness.
- Space and time as forms of being.
- Movement and development as ways of existence.
- The problem of the essence of consciousness.
- Features of the human psyche. The relationship between the conscious and the unconscious.
- The infinity of the process of cognition.
- The question of the knowability of the world: agnosticism and gnosticism.
- The relationship between the subject and the object of cognition.
- The relationship between sensory experience and rational thinking, their basic forms.
- Intuition and its role in cognition.
- Truth and its criteria. Relative and absolute truth.
- Empirical and theoretical levels of scientific knowledge.
- Interaction between nature and society.
- Environmental problem and ways to solve it.
- Material and spiritual aspects of social life, their relationship.
- The relationship between the individual and society. The relationship between freedom and responsibility of the individual.
- Culture as a transformative activity of man as a whole.
- Multivariate social development.
- The essence of civilization.
- Basic approaches to the study of society.
- Social progress, its criteria and main stages.
- Spiritual life of society.
- Social consciousness, its structure and forms.
- Science as a form of social consciousness.
- Aesthetic consciousness. Philosophical understanding of art.
- Religion as a form of culture, a type of worldview.
- Moral consciousness. Philosophical understanding of morality.
- The main global problems of humanity and possible ways their decisions.
- Information revolution as the most important component of scientific and technological revolution.
- The role of the masses and individuals in history.
- Globalization of public life.
Social Psychology
- Interpersonal communication, its essence and tasks to be solved.
- The essence and barriers of interpersonal communication and possible options their elimination.
- Intrapersonal conflict - conflict social roles one man.
- Interaction, communication between people, building their relationships.
- Psychological climate of the team.
- A man among people.
- Essential characteristics of a small group.
- Relationships between the individual and the group.
- Features of group formation.
- Roles, norms and personality status.
- Self-control as the correlation of one’s behavior with the norms of society or group.
- Self-determination as choosing your own position.
- Discrepancy between the aspirations and capabilities of people.
- The relationship between the main spheres of personality socialization.
- National identity.
- Social interaction.
- The meaning of the communication process.
- The essence of social conflict.
- Relationships between the individual and the team.
- Sources of social progress. Social development.
- Family relationships.
- Conflict between fathers and sons.
- The essence of the crowd and the herd instinct.
- Socio-psychological portrait of a leader.
- Family relationships.
- A system of organizational, socio-economic, psychological, moral and legal decisions that ensure the effective implementation of the individual’s capabilities in society and the group.
Economy
The contradiction between limited resources and limitless human needs.
The problem of economic choice.
Factors of production and their importance in the economy.
Labor as a type of activity and economic resource.
Capital as an economic resource.
Intellectual capital as main source formation of competitive advantages in economic activity.
Factors determining the productivity and competitiveness of production in the modern economy.
The essence and functions of money in economics.
Efficient use of resources.
The meaning of the social division of labor.
Two sides of the social division of labor are specialization and cooperation.
The benefits of social labor cooperation: collaboration, learning by doing and comparative advantage.
Efficiency in the allocation of available resources.
The role of trade in the development of society.
Incentives and production efficiency.
Fairness in the distribution of social benefits.
The essence of market relations.
The role of the state in regulating the economy.
Sociology
The relationship between objective and subjective factors influencing social processes.
The role of spiritual and material values in people's lives.
Social inequality and struggle.
Maintaining the stability of social life.
Progressive change (progress) in the organization of society.
Patterns of differentiation of male and female social roles.
Historically unequal relationships between men and women.
Specific qualities of the city.
The social nature of knowledge, thinking, and activity of society.
Processes of information transfer between social groups.
Youth as a social community.
Features of socialization of generations entering life.
Features of the lifestyle of young people. Formation of life plans, goals and value orientations.
Social mobility.
Performing various social roles.
Science how social institution.
Social functions of science.
Education as a social institution, its functions in society and its relationship with other social institutions.
Interaction between religion and society.
Family as a social institution and small group.
Family structure and functions, patterns of family behavior.
A person’s attitude towards work, his social activity.
The impact of globalization on local life.
Influence national factors on social structure and population migration.
National identity.
Trends in interethnic relations.
Interethnic conflicts.
National characteristics value orientations and behavioral stereotypes.
Political science
Politic system society and its role in the life of society.
The place and role of the state in the political system of society.
Parties and social movements in the political system of society.
Features of modern political relations.
Subjects of politics.
Global politics and international relations.
Types of human attitudes towards politics.
Regulation political behavior and political activity.
The relationship between goals and means in politics.
Political progress and its criteria.
The relationship between economics, politics and law.
Essence and features political power.
The nature and functions of political power. Legitimacy of political power and its types.
Political regime: concept and signs.
The essence of a democratic regime.
Authoritarian regime.
Totalitarian regime.
Political system of society: concept, functions and structure.
Origin of the state.
The essence and characteristics of the state.
State sovereignty.
Government as a special type of social power.
Form of state and its elements.
The relationship between society and the state.
Civil society: concept, structure, features.
Correlation and relationship between state and law.
Rule of law: concept and principles.
Separation of powers as a principle of the rule of law.
State and individual: mutual responsibility.
Concept, functions, types and structure of political parties.
Party systems.
Socio-political movements, pressure groups.
Political relations.
Political pluralism.
The essence and structure of the political process.
Revolution and reform as types of political transformations.
Political modernization.
Uprising, riot, mutiny, putsch as types of political process.
Political campaigns: their strategy and tactics.
Populism: concept and signs.
Direct and representative democracy.
Political decision.
The essence and functions of political leadership.
Political consciousness: concept, structure, functions.
The role of ideology in politics.
Political culture: concept and structure, types.
Interaction of the individual, society and state.
The functioning of political norms, values, expectations, orientations and aspirations characteristic of different social groups.
Interaction of the institution of law with other social institutions.
Jurisprudence
Law as a regulator of social life.
Social value of law.
The essence and specific features of the state.
The political system and the role of the state in it.
Law and morality: similarities and differences.
Lawmaking: principles, types, lawmaking process.
Mechanism for the implementation of fundamental rights, freedoms and responsibilities of the individual.
State and civil society.
Concept, signs of a welfare state.
Legal nihilism and ways to overcome it.
Offences: concepts, signs and composition. Types of offenses.
The essence of legal responsibility.
Legal culture.
After formulating the problem, it is necessary to indicate the relevance of the problem in modern conditions. To do this, you can use cliche phrases:
This problem is relevant in the conditions…
...globalization of social relations;
…formation of a unified information, educational, economic space;
...exacerbation of global problems of our time;
…the special controversial nature of scientific discoveries and inventions;
…development of international integration;
...modern market economy;
…development and overcoming the global economic crisis;
...strict differentiation of society;
...the open social structure of modern society;
…formation of the rule of law;
...overcoming the spiritual and moral crisis;
…dialogue of cultures;
…the need to preserve one’s own identity and traditional spiritual values.
3.5. Determining the meaning of a statement.
When revealing the meaning of a statement, you should not repeat the statement verbatim. In this case, you can use the following cliches:
“The meaning of this statement is that...”
“The author draws our attention to the fact that...”
“The author is convinced that...”
3.6. Determining your own position.
Here you can agree with the author completely, you can partially, by refuting a certain part of the statement, or you can argue with the author, expressing the opposite opinion. In this case, you can use cliche phrases:
“I agree with the author that...”
“One cannot but agree with the author of this statement regarding...”
“The author was right in asserting that...”
“In my opinion, the author quite clearly reflected the picture in his statement modern Russia(modern society... the situation that has developed in society... one of the problems of our time)"
“I beg to differ with the author’s opinion that...”
“Partly, I share the author’s point of view regarding ..., but I cannot agree with ...”
3.7. Argumentation.
Next, you should justify your own opinion on this issue. To do this, you need to select arguments (evidence), that is, remember the basic terms and theoretical positions.
Argumentation must be carried out at two levels:
1. Theoretical level - its basis is social science knowledge (concepts, terms, contradictions, directions of scientific thought, relationships, as well as the opinions of scientists and thinkers).
2. Empirical level - there are two options here:
a) using examples from history, literature and events in society;
b) appeal to personal experience.
When selecting facts, examples from public life and personal social experience, mentally answer the following questions:
1. Do they confirm my opinion?
2. Could they be interpreted differently?
3. Do they contradict the thesis I expressed?
4. Are they persuasive?
The proposed form will allow you to strictly control the adequacy of the arguments presented and prevent “drifting away from the topic.”
3.8. Conclusion.
Finally, you need to formulate a conclusion. The conclusion should not coincide verbatim with the judgment given for justification: it brings together in one or two sentences the main ideas of the arguments and sums up the reasoning, confirming the correctness or incorrectness of the judgment that was the topic of the essay.
To formulate a problematic conclusion, cliche phrases can be used:
“Thus, we can conclude...”
“To summarize, I would like to note that...”
4. Main mistakes and shortcomings of the essay.
Analysis of graduates' work allows us to identify some typical mistakes that are made at various stages of essay writing.
When formulating the problem and the meaning of the author’s statement:
1) On the one hand, misunderstanding and inability to isolate the problem of the statement is associated with a lack of knowledge of the basic science to which the quotation relates, and on the other hand, with an attempt to fit into known problems discussed in lessons in previously written, read, that is, ready-made essay.
2) The inability to formulate a problem is often associated with a lack of developed vocabulary and terminology in basic social sciences.
3) The inability to formulate the meaning of the author’s statement is associated with a misunderstanding or incorrect understanding of its content, and a lack of necessary social science knowledge.
4) Substitution of the problem with the author's position - due to the fact that the student does not see the difference between them. The problem is the topic of the author's discussion. It is always broad and includes several opinions and positions, often completely opposite to each other. The essence or meaning of the author's statement is his personal answer to the question posed, one of several existing in science or social thought.
When expressing and arguing your own position:
1. The lack of arguments is due to the student’s ignorance or ignorance of the requirements for an essay in social studies and its structure.
2. The graduate’s argument only repeats the statement.
3. Errors in operations with concepts: unjustified expansion or narrowing of the meaning of the concept in question, substitution of concepts.
4. Errors in working with information caused by the inability to analyze social experience. Often, the examples given by graduates are weakly related to the position under consideration (the connection is either not traceable or is superficial and does not reflect essential points).
5. Uncritical perception of social information from media reports and the Internet. As a result, unverified facts, unfounded or provocative statements, and biased assessments are often used by graduates as evidence in essays.
6. The predominance of a one-sided view of social phenomena, the inability to identify and build cause-and-effect relationships.
In this article you will learn how to write an essay on social studies. Examples are attached.
First of all, it is necessary to understand that in order to learn how to write an essay in social studies, it takes quite a long time. It's impossible without preliminary preparation write an essay that would be rated high by experts. Sustainable skills good results appear after 2-3 months of work (about 15-20 essays written). It is systematic training and determination that bring high results. You need to hone your skills in practice with the direct help and careful supervision of a teacher.
Video - how to write an essay on social studies
If you haven't tried essay writing yet, watch the video.
Unlike an essay on literature or the Russian language, where the minimum amount of work is clearly specified and general reflection is allowed (“philosophizing” without specification), in an essay on social science the volume is not limited, but its structure and content are fundamentally different. A social studies essay is actually an answer to the question: “Do I agree with this statement and why?” That is why an essay on social science must contain strict argumentation, scientificity and specificity. At the same time, it should be noted that very paradoxical, unusual statements that require imaginative thinking, a non-standard approach to solving the problem. This inevitably leaves its mark on the essay writing style and requires maximum concentration of effort and attention.
I would also like to add that the exam essay is graded specific people. In order for an expert, who checks from 50 to 80 papers a day, to mark an essay as worthy of attention, this essay must not only meet all the requirements set out below, but also be distinguished by a certain originality, originality and originality - this is implied by the genre of the essay itself. Therefore, it is necessary not only to present scientific and factual material on the topic, but also to pleasantly surprise you with the originality and flexibility of your thinking.
Algorithm for writing essays during the Unified State Exam
- First of all, during the exam you need to properly manage your time. Practice shows that writing an essay requires spending at least 1-1.5 hours out of the 3.5 hours allotted for the Unified State Exam in Social Studies. It is most advisable to start writing an essay after all other KIM tasks have been completed, because This type of work requires maximum concentration of the graduate’s efforts.
- Carefully read all the topics offered to choose from.
- Select topics that are understandable, i.e. – the student must clearly understand what this statement is about, what the author wanted to say with this phrase. In order to remove doubts about whether he understands the topic correctly, the graduate must restate the phrase in his own words, defining main idea. The student can do this orally or in a draft.
- From the selected understandable statements, it is necessary to choose one topic - the one that the student knows best. It should be noted that examinees often choose topics that are easy in their opinion, but which turn out to be difficult when covering the topic due to the limitations of scientific and factual material on this issue (in other words, the phrase itself says it all, nothing can be added). In such cases, the essay comes down to a simple statement of the meaning of the statement in different options and is rated low by experts due to poor evidence base. Therefore, you need to choose the topic of the essay so that the student, when writing it, can fully demonstrate the completeness of his knowledge and the depth of his thoughts (i.e., the topic must be winning).
- When choosing an essay topic, you need to pay attention to what social science this statement is attributed. Practice shows that a number of phrases can refer to several sciences at once. For example, the statement of I. Goethe “Man is determined not only natural qualities, but also acquired” can belong to philosophy, social psychology, and sociology. Accordingly, the content of the essay should vary depending on this, i.e. must be consistent with said basic science.
- There is no need to write the entire essay as a draft. Firstly, due to limited time, and secondly, due to the fact that at the time of writing an essay some thoughts come, and at the time of rewriting - others, and redoing a finished text is much more difficult than creating a new one. In the draft, the graduate makes only an outline of his essay, approximate short sketches of the meaning of the phrase, his argumentation, the points of view of scientists, concepts and theoretical positions that he is going to present in his work, as well as the approximate order of their arrangement one after another, taking into account the semantic logic of the essay.
- IN mandatory the student must express his personal attitude to the chosen topic in a clearly defined formulation (“I agree”, “I disagree”, “I don’t completely agree”, “I agree, but partially” or phrases that are similar in meaning and meaning). Availability personal attitude is one of the criteria on the basis of which experts evaluate essays.
- Without fail, the graduate must state his understanding of the meaning of the statement. Those. The high school student explains in his own words what the author wanted to say with this phrase. It is more advisable to do this at the very beginning of the essay. And if you combine the requirements of this paragraph with the provisions of the previous one, then this is what, for example, the beginning of an essay on philosophy “Before talking about the benefit of satisfying needs, you need to decide what needs constitute the benefit” will look like: “I completely agree with the statement of the great Russian writer of the second halfXIX– beginningXXcenturies L.N. Tolstoy, in which he talks about real and imaginary needs."
- You need to be very careful in selecting arguments to support your point of view. Arguments must be convincing and justified. Data from relevant sciences are used as arguments, historical facts, facts from public life. Arguments of a personal nature (examples from personal life) are rated the lowest, so their use as evidence is undesirable. It should be remembered that any personal example It’s easy to “turn” into an example from public life, from social practice, if you write about it in a third person (for example, not “The saleswoman in the store was rude to me, thereby violating my consumer rights”, A “Let’s say that the saleswoman was rude to citizen S. Thus, she violated his rights as a consumer.” The number of arguments in an essay is not limited, but 3-5 arguments are most optimal for revealing the topic. It should also be remembered that examples from history are most relevant in political science, partly in legal and sociological topics, as well as in philosophical topics related to the theory of social progress. Examples from social practice (public life) - in sociological, economic, legal topics. Data from the relevant sciences must be used when choosing any of the topics.
- The use of terms, concepts, and definitions in an essay must be competent and appropriate in relation to the chosen topic and science. The essay should not be overloaded with terminology, especially if these concepts are not related to the chosen problem. Unfortunately, some graduates try to insert as many terms as possible into their work, violating the principle of expediency and reasonable sufficiency. Thus, they show that they have not learned to use it correctly scientific terminology. The term should be mentioned appropriately; such a mention should indicate its correct understanding.
- It is very welcome if a graduate in his essay indicates the points of view of other researchers on the issues under consideration, provides a link to different interpretations problem and various ways to solve it (if possible). Indication of other points of view can be direct (for example: “Lenin thought this way:..., and Trotsky thought differently:..., and Stalin did not agree with both of them:...”), but can be indirect, non-specific, non-personalized: “A number of researchers think this way:..., others think differently:..., and some suggest something completely different:....”
- It is very welcome if the essay indicates who the author of this statement was. The indication should be brief but precise (see example in paragraph 8). If, when arguing your position on this issue, it is appropriate to mention the views of the author of the phrase, this must be done.
- Arguments must be presented in strict sequence, the internal logic of presentation in the essay must be clearly visible. The student should not jump from one to another and return to the first again without explanation and internal connection, connecting the individual provisions of his work.
- The essay must end with a conclusion that briefly summarizes the thoughts and reasoning: “Thus, based on all of the above, it can be argued that the author was right in his statement.”
Essay Examples on the topic of:
Philosophy “Revolution is a barbaric way of progress” (J. Jaures)
For the highest score
I completely agree with the statement of the famous French socialist, historian and politician first half of the twentieth century by Jean Jaurès, in which he talks about the features of the revolutionary path of social progress, about distinctive features revolution. Indeed, revolution is one of the ways of progress, movement forward, to better and complex forms organization of social order. But since a revolution is a radical disruption of the entire existing system, a transformation of all or most aspects of social life, occurring in a short period of time, this form of progress is always accompanied by big amount victims and violence.
If we remember the revolutionary year of 1917 in Russia, we will see that both revolutions entailed the most severe confrontation in society and the country, which resulted in a terrible Civil War, accompanied by unprecedented bitterness, millions of dead and injured, unprecedented devastation in the national economy.
If we remember the Great French Revolution, then we will also see the rampant Jacobin terror, the guillotine, “working” seven days a week, and a series of incessant revolutionary wars.
If we remember the English bourgeois revolution, we will also see civil war, repression against dissidents.
And when we look at the history of the United States, we will see that both bourgeois revolutions that took place in this country took the form of war: first, the War of Independence, and then the Civil War.
The list of examples from history can go on and on, but wherever a revolution occurs - in China, Iran, the Netherlands, etc. – everywhere it was accompanied by violence, i.e. barbarism from the perspective of a civilized person.
And even though other thinkers exalted revolution (such as Karl Marx, who argued that revolutions are the locomotives of history), even though reactionaries and conservatives denied the role of revolutions in social progress, the point of view of J. Jaurès is closer to me: yes, revolution is a way of progress, a movement for the better, but carried out by barbaric methods, that is, with the use of cruelty, blood and violence. Happiness cannot be created through violence!
For a small point
In his quote, the author talks about revolution and progress. Revolution is a way of transforming reality into a short time, and progress is moving forward. Revolution is not progress. After all, progress is reform. It cannot be said that the revolution does not produce positive results - for example, the Russian revolution allowed workers and peasants to get rid of a difficult situation. But by definition, revolution is not progress, because progress is all that is good, and revolution is all that is bad. I disagree with the author who classifies revolution as progress.
Essay outline
Introduction
1) A clear indication of the problem of the statement:
“The statement I have chosen concerns the problem...”
“The problem with this statement is...”
2) Explanation of the choice of topic (what is the significance or relevance of this topic)
“Everyone is concerned about the question...”
“The RELEVANCE of this topic lies in...”
3) Reveal the meaning of the statement from the point of view of social science, 1-2 sentences
4) Introduction of the author and his point of view
“The author argued (said, thought) from such a point of view...”
5) Your own interpretation of this phrase, YOUR OWN POINT OF VIEW (DO YOU AGREE OR NOT)
“I think...” “I agree with the author of the statement...”
6) Expressing your position, moving on to the main part of the essay
P.S. It would be a plus if in the introduction you provide information about the author of the statement and insert a definition of the chosen field of the essay (philosophy, politics, economics, law, etc.)
Argumentation:
1) Theoretical argumentation of the problem. At least 3 aspects of the theoretical discussion of the topic must be presented.
For example: reveal the concept itself, give examples, analyze features, functions, classifications, properties.
2) Practical argument or example from public life
