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The 30-Minute Thesis
The 30-Minute Thesis Workshop
Brought to you by
The Writing Studio
What
is a thesis statement
anyway?
What?
Try It!
Write down what you think the thesis statement of your paper is.
(Or)
Brainstorm ideas for what you think you'd like your thesis statement to be.
Is it "good"?
- Arguable?
- Focused?
- Controversial?
- Supportable?
- Significant?
- Directed?
Why do academic writers
use thesis statements?
(and why should you?)
Why?
A thesis statement articulates a contribution to an academic conversation
A thesis is an idea!
Three Parts of Argumentation
But what about the thesis statement?
Three Parts of Argumentation
Resolution
Stasis
- Articulates why the destabilization matters.
- What are its broader implications?
- How does it offer an important outlook that scholars in the field should take into account?
- Commonly held assumption within a field of study.
- Persuasive argument by one or more experts in the field.
- The backdrop against which a writer makes her argument
Destabilization
- Where the writer distinguishes her point of view against the stasis.
- Often signaled by "however" or "but."
How do you
write a thesis statement?
How?
Figure out the "Stasis"
- What are some commonly held assumptions in field for which you are writing your paper?
- What are some persuasive opinions of scholars in the field?
The "Working" Thesis
This paper will argue ________ because/by ___________.
The "Working" Thesis
Examples
Example #1
College students shouldn’t have to take a required core curriculum, and many core courses are graded too stiffly.
While some argue that _________, college students should not have to take a required core curriculum because __________.
Example #2
This paper will first suggest qualities essential to a good corporate manager and then discuss how those qualities contribute to overall management style.
Character qualities that make corporate managers successful, such as X, Y, and Z often make their management styles ineffective.
Example #3
Drunk driving is a serious problem with long-lasting consequences.
An offender’s driver’s license should be automatically suspended after a drunk driving conviction.
Example #4
This essay will be about the theme of romantic love in Don Quixote.
Although Don Quixote scholars like ________ claim that Cervantes' text upholds romantic love as a virtuous ideal, the text actually reveals romantic loves as both dangerous and futile.
Moving Forward
Onward & Upward
Take a few minutes to revise your thesis statement from the beginning of class.
Closing Questions
- What is the most important thing you learned about thesis statements today?
- What questions or concerns do you still have?