How, why, what’s important Thesis development How, why, what’s important

Overview It’s not easy because you’re trying to come up with something new Be patient with not knowing, & not quite nailing it the first time. That’s because you’re pushing outside your comfort zone and what you already know. The basic question: What’s at stake here? What matters to me and most people about this topic? What could people disagree about? Could be an interpretation of a text, a moral, political, historical or philosophical area of debate or controversy.

A couple tricks of the trade Example: Your topic is the juvenile justice system. Your 3 part thesis: “The juvenile justice system is full of abused and abandoned children, teenage gang members, and remorseful felons.” Have you said why it matters? Is it arguable? What will we learn? When you have a statement that’s not quite arguable, or is simply boring, try these quick fixes: Rank which your topics is more important Add a “Because” statement Rank which of these is most important: “The juvenile justice system is full of teenage gang members, and remorseful felons, but the most painful cases are the abused and abandoned children who never had a chance outside of the gangs.” Now you have something to prove and explain. Use a Because statement to improve it “The juvenile justice system is full of abused children, teenage gang members, and remorseful felons because the adults in their lives have failed them, from parents to the school system to the justice system itself.

Try that with our topic Two good thesis statements: Thesis 1: In Character Development, the Private’s inner struggle with remaining silent shows that he should address the truth and find justice because to be politically free is to be able to act on what is just and morally right to oneself. Thesis 2: Although the cyberbullying of minors is a hardship, the establishment of laws criminalizing unkind expression online is unconstitutional and unnecessary because we already have laws against criminal threats, harassment and child pornography. With a partner improve the thesis below: Rank which is most important Say why that’s important A so-so 3 part thesis: “Letter from Birmingham Jail” persuades everyone who reads it because of Martin Luther King’s cool logic, his credibility as a minister, and his passion for the Civil Rights cause,