Reminder: Tentative Thesis for Research Paper Due Wednesday October 15

Since part of class this Friday will be spent doing research for your paper, you’re being asked to let me know in advance what your tentative thesis will be, as you did for your second paper. As you’re formulating your tentative thesis be sure to keep in mind the information from the previous class handout (pasted below) and from A Writer's Reference (pages 10-11) on constructing effective thesis statements.
Your tentative thesis should be emailed to me at sbarker711@gmail.com by midnight on Wednesday October 15th.

For your research paper, your tentative thesis will reflect your argument on a topic of national scope. Keep in mind the length of this paper and make sure that your focus is not too broad. Since you’re being asked to address what the two major presidential candidates’ views are on your topic, you may want to check for information on their views before constructing your thesis. One way to do this is to check under the “Issues” tabs at their respective web sites:

http://www.johnmccain.com/palin.htm

or

http://www.barackobama.com/index.php

Your tentative thesis however does not need to address these other views right away. It can simply be a clear statement of what position you think (at this point) you will be arguing about your issue.

A thesis statement:
--tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.--is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.--is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be the Iraqi War or racial profiling, a thesis must then offer a particular point of view you will argue on the War or profiling--makes a claim that others might dispute.--is often a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.


How do I get a thesis?
A thesis is the result of a thinking process. Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment. Before you develop an argument on any topic, you have to collect and organize evidence, look for possible relationships between facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the significance of these relationships. Once you do this thinking, you will probably have a "working thesis," a basic or main idea, an argument that you think you can support with evidence but that may need adjustment along the way.How do I know if my thesis is strong?A strong thesis takes a position that others might challenge or oppose. If your thesis simply states facts that no one would, or even could, disagree with, it's possible that you are simply providing a summary, rather than making an argument. A strong thesis is specific rather than general. Thesis statements that are too vague often do not have a strong argument. If your thesis contains words like "good" or "successful," see if you could be more specific: why is something "good"; what specifically makes something "successful"? A strong thesis will provide structure for your paper. A good thesis not only signals to the reader what your main point is, but how you are going to develop that main point. This can be signaled directly: "American fearfulness expresses itself in three curious ways: A, B, and C." This tells your reader you have three main points, and that they are going to be discussed in your paper in this order. However, this kind of thesis statement may be too formulaic or too constricting for all papers. You could instead say, "Americans are fearful, and this fearfulness manifests itself in the form of violence." The reader knows that you will then show examples of American fearfulness, and will tell how that fearfulness turns into violence.A strong thesis passes the "So what?" test?If a reader's first response is, "So what?" then you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue.

Example
Too general: The nuclear family is a thing of the past.
Better: (1) The increasing divorce rate is doubtless the most important catalyst of the demise of the nuclear family or (2) The dissolution of the nuclear family means that we must rethink our conventional ideas and expectations concerning how children should be brought up.
You might want to try the thesis generators at

http://www.ozline.com/electraguide/thesis.html
or
http://corptrain.phoenix.edu/thesis_generator/thesis_generator.html

to help you develop your thesis. You will probably still have to edit and rewrite your thesis after using the generator, but it can be a help in getting a start in the right direction. See also the information on pages 10-11 in A Writer's Reference