Shoplifting
Burglary
Mugging
Unpaid downloading of music from the internet
Making a copy of a friend’s movie on DVD
Plagiarism
Rank them according to the seriousness of their effects.
Task 2 Read the introduction to an essay below then complete Tasks a) –
c).
There are many different forms of stealing, from theft of
property, muggings and burglaries, to theft of ideas through
plagiarism. Although there are legal sanctions against many
forms of stealing, the issue of moral and social sanctions has
always been more complex. For example, Robin Hood, who
stole from the rich to give to the poor, is held up as a great
British hero. Piaskin (1986) suggests that ethical issues are not
simply questions of right and wrong but should be regarded as
‘dilemmas’. This essay will use the example of downloading
music from the internet to highlight these complexities but,
contrary to the view held by Piaskin, to argue that in this case,
stealing is always wrong: legally, ethically, economically and
artistically.
Adapted from: Stella Cottrell (2005) Critical Thinking Skills. Palgrave Macmillan Ltd
Task a) Look at the features of a good introduction. Which of
these features is included in the introduction above?
1
It includes general statements which provide
background information to the subject
2
It attracts the reader’s attention.
3
It clearly state the writer’s position in a thesis
statement – the focus narrows
4
It indicates subdivisions in the topic
5
It indicates how the topic will be approached
(discuss, compare/contrast etc)
Effective Essay Writing Follow-up Task
Task 1 What could the following have in common?
