Writing Session…#3/3 IUPUI | Jason Aukerman

What is a Thesis Statement?

Draft a Thesis Statement. Your thesis statement should have following characteristics…

Thesis Statements should… PREDICT They must make a statement that will be explained/defended in the rest of the essay CONTROL They should commit the writer to a workable, controlling idea

Thesis Statements should… OBLIGATE They should direct the writer to present ideas, examples, and details that support the controlling idea BE FRESH They should be something new that contains an element of surprise, risk, or challenge HAVE TENSION They should consider that the audience may have an opposing viewpoint

Draft a Thesis Statement. Split up into groups of 4. Make sure that EVERYONE contributes. Review your notes on the previous two sessions. Try to find a consensus on the ideas that Students = consumers Students = producers Draft a thesis statement for an essay that takes a position on the idea that students are either consumers or producers.

High School Level Thesis Statement Because students pay for college, they have the right to behave as they wish in class, such as sending texts.

College Level “Working” Thesis - 1 The concept of “consumerism” places students in a new position of power in today’s universities.

College Level “Working” Thesis - 2 While the concept of consumerism seems repugnant to many university professors and administrators, in fact, “packaging” education effectively addresses the needs of today’s younger, savvier, and more balanced generation that highly values free time, play time and good-works opportunities.

Analyze the thesis statements How are these similar? How are they different? What makes each statement effective? Which thesis statement is the MOST effective? Why? (5 minute) Return to your groups and discuss your thesis statement: How does your thesis statement compare to the three examples that we just looked at. Does your thesis statement resemble the high school version or one of the latter 2? How could you revise your thesis statement to make it more effective?

High-School Level Outlining ¶ 1 – Attention Getter – introduction to the topic and thesis statement ¶ 2 – Negative impact X ¶ 3 – Negative impact Y ¶ 4 – Negative impact Z ¶ 5 – Conclusion –Yep, students are definitely consumers/customers..

Developing Collegiate Outlines ¶ 1-2 – Attention getter – introduction to the topic ¶ 3 – Summary of image / source information ¶ 4 – Thesis statement – lay foundation for argument ¶ 5-6 – Establish context of “culture” and “culture sharing” ¶ 7 & 9 – Discuss impact of the idea that students are consumers ¶ 10 & 13 – Discuss impact of the idea that students are producers ¶ – Discuss counter argument to your position ¶ 18 – Conclusion

Evaluate your outline Based on the brief example provided, would you say that your outline reflects a high school-level essay or a college-level essay? What are some things that you might change to improve the outline? (3-5 minutes)

College Level Thesis Statements START WITH CURIOSITY Ask questions FORM IDEAS Pre-Writing Thesis Drafts Find answers CREATE ESSAYS Inform others

Reflection  The goal of these writing sessions is to better prepare you for the challenges of college-level writing. In these workshops we covered:  the importance of asking good questions  the importance of interesting (inventive, intensive, deep, rich analytical and critical) writing  key terms: summary, description, analysis  the importance of crafting more complex and interesting thesis statements  In the remaining time, work with your groups to create a poster/collage that reflects some of the important “take-aways” from these workshops.  Find a place on the wall to post your work and offer a brief explanation

Thanks! See you around!