Thesis Statements

Thesis Statements

  • Thesis Testing: To test your thesis, isolate it on a sheet and ask:
    • Does it convey the paper's topic?
    • Does it indicate how the topic is supported?
    • Does it explain the topic’s importance?

3 C's of a Thesis

  • Concise: A thesis needs to be brief but comprehensive.
  • Contentious (arguable): A thesis should have nuance and different perspectives to consider.
    • Even in informative writing, a thesis should be arguable to some extent.
    • Example: "Is Tom Cruise the star of Top Gun?" is not a contentious thesis because it is a simple fact.
    • A better research question: "What makes Tom Cruise a popular actor according to some critics?"
  • Coherent: A thesis must make sense to the audience.
    • Use the writing center to ensure clarity.
    • Read the thesis out loud to catch mistakes or incoherent ideas.
    • Stumbling while reading your own writing indicates a problem that needs to be addressed.

Essential Thesis Characteristics

  • Complete Sentence: A thesis must be a complete sentence.
    • It should be a nuanced, complex, well-written, concise, contentious, and coherent sentence.
  • Observation + Opinion: Theses often develop from combining observation and opinion.
    • Example: Observing the popularity of "Stranger Things" and forming an opinion about the reasons for its popularity.
  • Not a Question: A thesis is not a question; it answers a question.
    • It typically answers a professor-given prompt or, in research papers, your own research question.
    • Instead, it answers a question.

What to Avoid in a Thesis

  • Cliches: Avoid overdone, generic, or boring statements.
  • Things like, since the dawn of man or humankind has always.
  • Personal Pronouns: Refrain from using "I" or "In this essay, I will."

Tone

  • Maintain an academic tone by avoiding "I" in your writing.
  • Exceptions: Personal narratives in introductions or conclusions.
  • Support your paper with research, not personal opinion.
  • Avoid using "I" in the thesis.

Summary and Paraphrase

  • Summary and paraphrase are essential tools for informative writing.
  • Reading with the Grain: Interpreting a text in alignment with its intended meaning and the author's perspective.

Paraphrase

  • Rephrasing a passage in your own words while preserving the meaning, detail, and length as closely as possible.
  • Use when the original quote is really strong.
  • Good writing includes variation in how you talk about other people's ideas.
  • Direct quotations should be reserved for when the original wording is essential.
    • Direct quote, it better be important.

Summary

  • Condensing a larger text into a shorter, more concise version, focusing on key points and main ideas.
  • Reverse Outline: Useful tool for understanding and condensing ideas by outlining the original paper.

Reading Assignment

The professor is assigning a reading for the next class.