Narrowing your topic to a thesis statement January

Narrowing your topic to a thesis statement January 24, 2020

Which of these sentences is a statement? Thesis principle #1: It must be a statement! 1. Environmental activists have been around since at least the nineteenth century. 2. Were environmentalists important in history? 3. John Muir was the most influential environmentalist of the nineteenth century. 4. What was John Muir’s influence on modern life? (Purdue OWL)

Thesis principle #2: It must be debatable! Debatable means someone could reasonably disagree with it. Which of these is debatable? 1. A high school education is encouraged by state law. 2. High school diplomas prepare students for successful careers. (Purdue OWL)

Thesis principle #3: It must be narrow! Debatable means someone could reasonably disagree with it. Which of these is narrow? 1. High school diplomas prepare students for careers. 2. Tennessee high school pathways prepare students for careers when they graduate. (Purdue OWL)

You can choose one of the following types of claims: 1. Claims of fact or definition: These claims argue about How do you make an informational topic into an argument? what the definition of something is or whether something is a settled fact. Example: While some pundits have framed a four-year college education as something necessary for adult success, this notion should not be treated as a given. 2. Claims of cause and effect: These claims argue that one person, thing, or event caused another thing or event to occur. Example: Federal student loan policies have contributed to widespread growth in college tuition. (Purdue OWL)

You can choose one of the following types of claims: 3. Claims about value: These are claims made of what How do you make an informational topic into an argument? something is worth, whether we value it or not, how we would rate or categorize something. Example: The student debt crisis is one of the most serious problems facing the country today. 4. Claims about solutions or policies: These are claims that argue for or against a certain solution or policy approach to a problem. Example: Rather than encouraging all students to attend fouryear colleges, we should instead emphasize the validity of twoyear colleges, technical schools, and trade schools as well. (Purdue OWL)

You can choose one of the following types of claims: Claims you can include in a thesis: 1. Claims of fact or definition 2. Claims of cause and effect 3. Claims about value 4. Claims about solutions or policies

1. It must be a statement. What does a thesis need overall? (Purdue OWL) 2. It must be debatable. 3. It must be narrow. 4. It must not be vague.

Sources: Purdue Writing Lab. “Strong Thesis Statements // Purdue Writing Lab. ” Purdue Writing Lab, Purdue University, owl. purdue. edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/establishin g_arguments/index. html.