Comparative Analysis Essay:
A comparative analysis is an essay that asks you to compare and contrast two (or more) ideas. For this essay, you will look to yourself to formulate your own research question.
Ask yourself: What field am I aiming to go into? How might I generate a research question that seeks to compare and contrast X with Y?
EXAMPLES:
How has education changed from the early periods of technology, such as the early 2000s (“X”), to now (“Y”)?
How has AI (“Y”) impacted how we learn to write authentically?
X = pre-AI
What are applicable skills that engineering students utilize in their real-world jobs (“Y”)?
X = applicable skills of engineering students
The Derek Bok Center For Teaching & Learning. “Comparative Analysis: What It Is and Why It’s Useful.” Harvard University: GenEd Writes, Harvard, 2025, https://genedwrites.fas.harvard.edu/tfs-tas/comparative-analysis. Accessed 12 February 2025.
