How to Write a Thematic Essay

While attending university classes, students get lots of tasks related to writing. This type of homework requires preparation, research, and structuring. If you don’t know how to plan your work, try writing a thematic essay which is easy regarding the outline. You need to pay attention to specific planning and stick to the topic of discussion. In this article, you will understand why this writing method is useful for students as well as read good ideas for topics.

By using excerpts of samples, you can get a good idea about how to start preparing your article. It will serve as a good template for your writing and give you hints during the whole process. Now you don’t have to spend hours learning about the type of paper which you need to prepare. All the most significant information is included here.

What is a Thematic Essay

The explanation of the definition of the thematic essay is hidden in the word “theme.” It is a type of writing which is focused on investigating a particular topic of discussion and analyzing various aspects of the same subject. This kind is mostly used in Literature because here you can take one topic and express several opinions. It helps the writer get a better insight of the book because there are lots of symbols which can be seen in various explanations. It doesn’t mean that there is only one answer. The key is in reading between the lines to understand which possible explanations the author has intended to use.

There can be various other subjects suitable for thematic writing because the core of this type is hidden in the main idea. The writer should select a topic and revolve the whole paper around it trying to analyze each detail with specific precision. This method helps both the reader and the writer to understand the problem thoroughly.

Thematic Essay Topics

The primary step in preparing a thematic essay is choosing the topic of discussion. Take the subject which you need to research and think about a specific aspect which can be discovered from different elements. Look at the following rules about selecting the topic. They will help you focus on the exact subject.

1. Analyze possible themes of discussion by investigating references, sources, articles.
2. Make a list of the most interesting topics for you.
3. Look through the available sources of each theme on the Internet and in libraries.
4. Jet down your ideas of the best title for the paper.

Here is the list of possible topics for this type of writing. Read them to understand how to choose the theme.

Global Regents Thematic Essay Topics

Global regents subjects are those which refer to things, events, people who are significant for the whole world. It can be a paper about an individual who made a difference in specific spheres. You can also write about world events which left a serious either negative or positive effect on the society. These can be topics which each person on Earth knows and understands. Here is the list of possible themes for discussion about global regents.

• Steve Jobs as an individual who brought about the change in perceiving modern technologies.
• Gold as a natural resource which shows social wealth.
• How Darwin changed the perception of naturalism.
• The migration of Spanish Jews and its influence on other countries.
• The impact of Christianity on Italian society.
• The significance of island isolation for Japan.
• Property rights during the period of Enlightenment.
• A successful or unsuccessful campaign lead by Martin Luther King.
• Negative and positive impact of irrigation for lands and agriculture.
• The negative consequences of Holocaust in today’s world.

US History Thematic Essay Topics

The USA has a rich history which is full of life-changing events. Some of them brought about changes which influenced the destiny of millions of Americans. You can choose one event and describe its various aspects of impact. Another option is writing about a historical figure and depicting his or her role in the US history. From the above list, you can find various examples of this essay topic.

• American dream from the Martin Luther King’s perspective.
• The role of Michelle Obama in the educational progress among females.
• The American-Vietnam war and its influence on the society.
• Washington and his implemented changes in the political system of the US government.
• Who killed Kennedy?
• Thomas Jefferson and his Declaration of Independence.
• Barack Obama’s successful political campaign.
• The usage of social networks for promoting political campaigns.
• American dream from the Donald Trump’s perspective.
• The case about using personal information from Facebook for political campaigns.

Thematic Essay Outline

Preparing an outline is the most significant prewriting step. It helps organize the ideas and examples. Thematic essay outline is a brief template of the future text. You need to divide it into three parts: introduction, main body, and conclusion. Each of this section should be divided into details where you summarize which subtopic you are going to discuss. To help you understand this preparation part, you can use the following template for your chosen subject. Include each step in your outline and get the skeleton of your paper.

Thematic Essay Outline Template

Introduction

Hook sentence

Introducing the theme of discussion.

Thesis statement.

Main Body

Paragraph 1 (analyzing one aspect of the theme)

Topic sentence.

Explanation.

Evidence and examples for proving the topic sentence.

Link idea to the next paragraph.

Paragraph 2 (analyzing the second aspect of the theme)

Topic sentence.

Explanation.

Evidence and examples for proving the topic sentence.

Link idea to the next paragraph.

(you can write as many sections as necessary according to the word amount criteria)

Conclusion

Summarizing words which indicate the end.

Restating the thesis statement.

Thought-provoking sentence like food for thought.

Thematic Essay Rubric

The rubric is the explanation which aspects of your writing are evaluated. Usually, there are several common rubrics for most essays and some specific ones according to the writing type. Your paper will be reviewed for grammar, structuring, research, format, and style no matter which topic you are investigating. As to the particular thematic essay rubrics, it is possible to identify the following theme essay rubrics: theme specification, author’s message, the relevance of examples. There can be lots of other rubrics, that is why you need to ask your teacher to explain each aspect in details. If you stick to those requirements, you will have a higher likelihood of receiving an A+.

Thematic Essay Examples

Example 1. Identify the question of overlaying stereotypical attitudes described in the Claude Mason Steele’s book “Whistling Vivaldi and Other Clues to How Stereotypes Affect Us.”

“It is sometimes necessary only to present yourself as a unique personality in order to destroy a prejudice attitude towards people with the particular identity. For example, there is a short shorty described in the book about an African American man who experienced stereotypical adverse treatment because of his race. However, when this person bean to whistle the melody of the Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, people immediately started to perceive the person as a well-behaved, educated, talented one. Without knowing who this person is, people lose the fear because he knows the melody of a classic masterpiece in music. By doing so, the stereotype of violent, angry black people was overlaid by the stereotypical thinking about the well-behaved, educated men who listen to classical music and know how to repeat the melody. Therefore, this instance illustrates that even simple alterations in human’s behavior result in the process of defining whether the identified stereotypes are positive or negative.

To conclude, stereotypes will always be a significant part of the society, and Claude M. Steele proves this idea in his book. It is essential to understand whether people’s treatment of others has a solid basis of a real experience or an existing stereotype. If each person tries to avoid the stereotypical threat, there will be significant improvements in human relationship within the society and on the global level of performance in various activities.”

Example 2. The usage of social networks for promoting political campaigns.

“The usage of social networks has turned into an influential tool in implementing the Internet to attract more followers. There is an excellent example of Barack Obama’s political campaign in 2008 and 2010 with the frequent usage of promotion on Facebook and Twitter. Such a posting has shown the immense influence of the Internet on the presidential victory. Barack Obama’s political program was goal-oriented and painstaking. It was based not on the technological advancements but understanding the psychology of human’s behavior online. In the world where everyone is connected globally via the Internet, the feeling of personal engagement in the world history is exceptionally significant. Understanding this, Obama’s team made a determinative focus on personal involvement. The instance of this campaign proves that by implementing the Internet in a prudent way, the political campaign becomes more person-oriented, and that feature appeals to the modern generations.

To conclude, the Internet has a vital influence on the in organizing political campaigns. It allows to save precious time, create groundbreaking fundraising methods, observe the people’s feedback, and share information to any place of the world. Also, it is essential to be ready to combat difficulties which any digital campaigns may trigger. The primary mission of the Internet is to create a platform for communicating with people from the entire world. If any wrong or not accurate news gets there, there is no return. It spreads the information as quickly as makes up the new one. It means that the political leaders are forced to deal with such a necessary tool in the campaigns if they are eager to win.”