Writing an Argumentative Thesis Statement A thesis statement is a sentence that clearly and concisely indicates the subject of your paper, the main points you will discuss, and the order in which you will discuss them.

Q. Where does a thesis statement occur? A. In the last 1-2 sentences of the introduction…

Thesis Statement Formula: Topic + Main Points = Thesis Statement

In an argumentative paper, you are making a claim about a topic and justifying this claim with reasons and evidence. This claim could be an opinion, a policy proposal, or an evaluation. But, this claim must be a statement that people could possibly disagree with, because the goal of your paper is to convince an audience that your claim is true and valid based on the presentation of your reasons and evidence.

A strong argumentative thesis statement should: be specific when clearly stating your claim or assertion state the reasons/evidence that support this claim be written in the order in which you will be presenting your reasons and evidence express one main idea

Where do I start? First: Brainstorm the topic Let’s say that your topic is… Women in Combat

You would start out with a basic statement something like this: Women in front-line combat This fragment isn’t a thesis statement. Instead, it simply indicates a general subject. Furthermore, your reader doesn’t know what you want to say about women in combat.

What Next? Narrow the Topic Now that you have a topic, you need to take a stance. You change your thesis to look like this: Against women in war combat zones

Is this a thesis statement? This fragment does announce your subject and it focuses on one main idea: women in war combat zones. Furthermore, it raises a subject upon which reasonable people could disagree, because while most people might agree that women should not be allowed in combat, certainly not everyone would agree with you. BUT, this fragment is STILL not a thesis statement because your reader doesn’t know your conclusions on the topic.

Next: Narrow down your stance and state your reasons… After reflecting on the topic a little while longer, you decide your reasons for why women should not be allowed in combat situations. You revise your thesis to look something like this: Women should not be allowed in combat zones because they are weaker, they are more emotional and they are at a higher risk of being sexually assaulted by fellow male soldiers.

This statement asserts your position; BUT, the reasons are TOO vague. So, to do this, you need to use specific languageand make an assertion based on clearly stated support that you can prove. Women in the U.S. military should not be allowed to fight on the front line in war combat zones because they are physically weaker than men, they are more emotional in stressful situations, and they run a high risk of being sexually assaulted by fellow male soldiers.

Your thesis statement should always answer a question… Notice how the thesis answers the question: “Should women be allowed to fight on the front line in war combat zones?” When you started thinking about the paper, you may not have had a specific question in mind, but as you become more involved in the topic, your ideas will become more specific. Your thesis will, in turn, change to reflect your new insights.

We will be reviewing introductions next week, but here is an example of how you can lead into your thesis statement. This is an action introduction sample. Pellets of rain ricochet off the soldiers’ helmets as they, face down, crawl on their stomachs through the mud closer and closer towards their awaiting enemy. Suddenly, a blinding explosion tears through the middle of the line. A 6 ft. 235 pound soldier is wounded by surrounding shrapnel and is in need of immediate medical care, but the only person closest to him is a 5 ft. 3 female weighing barely 130 pounds. How will she be able to pick up her fellow comrade and carry him to safety? The answer is easy: She won’t. Women have been a part of the military for many years; but, in more recent years, a controversial debate has surfaced on whether they should be allowed to fight in combat situations. Women in the U.S. military should not be allowed to fight on the front line in war combat zones because they are physically weaker than men, they are more emotional in stressful situations, and they run a high risk of being Sexually assaulted by fellow male soldiers.

Thesis Don'ts Avoid starting your thesis sentence with "In my opinion I believe" and "This essay will argue that..." or any variation thereof. Just stating a fact. A thesis has to be worth arguing about. Tackling two topics at once (even if they seem related). Pick one and stick with it.