Just the plain facts! PRESENTATION SERIES Theses and thesis-statements © Nicholas G. Ashby 2004

Theses and thesis-statements Most academic essay assignments require you to come up with and defend a thesis. How well this is done has a profound effect on the grade the essay receives. You should be clear about the answers to the following questions before starting a thesis-based assignment: What is a thesis? What is a thesis? What is the purpose of a thesis? What is the purpose of a thesis? What is a thesis statement? What is a thesis statement?

What is a thesis? A sentence that makes a claim about something (usually about an assigned topic or issue) could be turned into a thesis. Here are some examples of sentences that make a claim about something: there should be a worldwide ban on DDT use there should be a worldwide ban on DDT use pre-planned violence is not the cause of football hooliganism pre-planned violence is not the cause of football hooliganism even very small networks of neurons are capable of learning and memory. even very small networks of neurons are capable of learning and memory.

What is a thesis? However, a sentence that makes a claim about something is not a well-supported thesis until reasons or evidence are provided to persuade the reader that the claim is true or probable. Hence, a well-supported thesis is essentially the conclusion of an argument. An assignment that requires you to come up with a thesis is an assignment that requires you to argue for a claim about something.

What is a thesis? Reasons/evidence Claim about something (thesis)

What is the purpose of a thesis? A thesis-based essay assignment has two purposes: to give you the opportunity to demonstrate your academic skills and talents to give you the opportunity to demonstrate your academic skills and talents to add to the body of knowledge about the to add to the body of knowledge about the topic or issue explored in the essay. topic or issue explored in the essay.

What is the purpose of a thesis? Academic skills and talents A thesis shows how well (or not!) you understand the topic A thesis shows how well (or not!) you understand the topic It is hard to come up with a thesis that is relevant to a topic or issue that you do not fully understand!

What is the purpose of a thesis? A thesis shows how well (or not!) you understand the topic A thesis shows how well (or not!) you understand the topic A thesis that misses the crux of a topic or issue is a sign to the grader that you have failed to grasp the topic or issue fully!

What is the purpose of a thesis? A thesis shows how well (or not!) you understand the topic A thesis shows how well (or not!) you understand the topic A thesis that goes to the crux of the matter indicates to the grader that you have understood the topic or issue.

What is the purpose of a thesis? A thesis can fail to be relevant to the topic or issue in a number of ways: the thesis could simply have no logical connection to the topic or issue the thesis could simply have no logical connection to the topic or issue the thesis could be trivial the thesis could be trivial the thesis could be too wide the thesis could be too wide the thesis could be too narrow the thesis could be too narrow

What is the purpose of a thesis? No logical connection! Suppose you have an assignment that asks you to write a thesis-based essay on the issue of whether mandatory physical education at all high school grades would significantly impact on adult obesity rates in Canada. You come up with the thesis: eating disorders among high school students contributes significantly to obesity in adult life.

What is the purpose of a thesis? The thesis: eating disorders among high school students contributes significantly to obesity in adult life is interesting, but it has nothing to do with the assigned issue, which concerned mandatory physical education at all high school grades, not eating disorders at high school!

What is the purpose of a thesis? Arguing for a thesis that has nothing to do with the assigned topic is sometimes called going off topic. Another way of going off topic is to discuss evidence that has no logical connection to the thesis you indicate in your thesis-statement! If your thesis is that there should be mandatory physical education at all high school grades, don’t spend your essay discussing evidence for the thesis that eating disorders at high school contribute to adult obesity!

What is the purpose of a thesis? To help avoid going off topic, read and re-read the assignment instructions until you completely understand what you have to do. If anything is unclear, ask the professor or TA. When you are arranging the body of your essay, check that the evidence is relevant to the thesis you state in the introduction!

What is the purpose of a thesis? Trivial theses! A thesis that everyone already agrees with is a trivial thesis. Suppose you had an assignment that required you to write a thesis-based essay on the problem of homelessness in Toronto. You did your research and came up with the thesis: homelessness is a real problem in Toronto.

What is the purpose of a thesis? This thesis is trivial because everyone would agree with it. Everybody thinks that homelessness is a problem in Toronto. So it is a waste of time writing an essay that argues for the thesis that homelessness is a real problem in Toronto!

What is the purpose of a thesis? It is also a trivial thesis vis-à-vis the assignment because it is assumed to be true in the assignment instructions… If you are asked to write on the problem of homelessness in Toronto, then it is fair to say that it is a given that homelessness is a problem in Toronto!

What is the purpose of a thesis? To avoid trivial theses: be thorough in your reading and research, and truly reflect on what you discover be thorough in your reading and research, and truly reflect on what you discover make sure that your thesis is more detailed and specific than assumptions in the assignment instructions (unless the thesis itself is an assigned one) make sure that your thesis is more detailed and specific than assumptions in the assignment instructions (unless the thesis itself is an assigned one) try to come up with an original thesis – but remember that the more controversial the thesis, the harder it will be to argue for it effectively! try to come up with an original thesis – but remember that the more controversial the thesis, the harder it will be to argue for it effectively!

What is the purpose of a thesis? Some theses more detailed than the assumption that homelessness is a problem in Toronto: creating more inner-city shelters will not alleviate the problem of homelessness in Toronto creating more inner-city shelters will not alleviate the problem of homelessness in Toronto the problem of homelessness in Toronto is made worse by the lack of investment in affordable housing the problem of homelessness in Toronto is made worse by the lack of investment in affordable housing to help ease the problem of homelessness in Toronto, more resources need to be channeled into support for those living with mental disabilities. to help ease the problem of homelessness in Toronto, more resources need to be channeled into support for those living with mental disabilities.

What is the purpose of a thesis? A thesis-based assignment might give the thesis to you directly, or indirectly via a question or statement that you must agree or disagree with. Here, you do not have to worry about trivial theses, but be concerned about the effectiveness of your supporting argument!

What is the purpose of a thesis? Theses that are too wide! A thesis is too wide if it claims more than is necessary. If you were asked to write a thesis-based assignment on the problem of urban sprawl in the GTA, and you came up with the thesis: the root causes of urban sprawl are the same in the Atlantic and Central Canadian provinces, you would have a thesis that was too wide!

What is the purpose of a thesis? This thesis does bear a logical connection to the assigned topic, but it includes more than was assigned (urban sprawl in the GTA). This results in a lower grade, not a higher grade!!

What is the purpose of a thesis? Wide theses should be avoided because they: leave you open to the charge of having gone off topic leave you open to the charge of having gone off topic are much harder to argue for effectively – the more your thesis includes, the more reasons you must supply in order to support it. Why create the extra work for yourself?! are much harder to argue for effectively – the more your thesis includes, the more reasons you must supply in order to support it. Why create the extra work for yourself?! typically result in essays that are superficial and lacking in detailed argument. typically result in essays that are superficial and lacking in detailed argument.

What is the purpose of a thesis? The best ways to avoid a wide thesis are to: make sure that you fully understand the assignment instructions make sure that you fully understand the assignment instructions allow yourself time to research the topic thoroughly allow yourself time to research the topic thoroughly check to make sure that your thesis is focused on the assigned topic – if you are unsure, check with the professor or TA. check to make sure that your thesis is focused on the assigned topic – if you are unsure, check with the professor or TA.

What is the purpose of a thesis? Theses that are too narrow! A thesis is too narrow if it claims less than is necessary. If you were asked to write a thesis-based essay on the likelihood of manned exploration of our solar-system, and you came up with the thesis: renewed manned exploration of the Moon is likely, you would have a thesis that was too narrow!

What is the purpose of a thesis? (ctd.) What is the purpose of a thesis? This thesis does bear a logical connection to the assigned topic, but it includes less than was assigned (manned exploration of our solar-system…not just the Moon). This results in a lower grade!!

What is the purpose of a thesis? Narrow theses should be avoided as they: leave you open to the charge of having gone off topic leave you open to the charge of having gone off topic leave you open to the criticism of having failed to take into account a variety of important and crucial points. leave you open to the criticism of having failed to take into account a variety of important and crucial points.

What is the purpose of a thesis? The best ways to avoid a narrow thesis are to: make sure that you fully understand the assignment instructions make sure that you fully understand the assignment instructions allow yourself time to research the topic thoroughly allow yourself time to research the topic thoroughly check to make sure that your thesis is focused on the assigned topic – if you are unsure, check with the professor or TA. check to make sure that your thesis is focused on the assigned topic – if you are unsure, check with the professor or TA.

What is the purpose of a thesis? Academic skills and talents How well you argue for your thesis shows how good (or bad!) you are at critical thinking How well you argue for your thesis shows how good (or bad!) you are at critical thinking An essay with a thesis that is not well-argued for will not get the best grade, no matter how interesting the thesis is.

What is the purpose of a thesis? For your supporting argument to be effective: it should include trustworthy evidence it should include trustworthy evidence the evidence should be relevant to the thesis. the evidence should be relevant to the thesis. For more on this, see the BWC presentation on how to argue for a thesis.

What is a thesis-statement? A thesis-statement is simply a sentence, or a couple of sentences that tell the reader what the thesis of your essay is. Thesis-statements are easy to write. They are factual sentences like any other factual sentence!

What is a thesis-statement? Some examples of possible thesis-statements: there should be a phased-in worldwide ban on the use of DDT there should be a phased-in worldwide ban on the use of DDT pre-planned violence is not the cause of football hooliganism pre-planned violence is not the cause of football hooliganism memory and learning can be caused by simple mechanisms memory and learning can be caused by simple mechanisms

What is a thesis-statement? A thesis-statement typically appears in an essay’s introduction, and is repeated in the essay’s conclusion. A thesis-statement appears in an essay’s introduction so that the reader can know what thesis is argued for in the body of the essay. The next few slides provide examples of thesis-statements (in blue) within the context of essay introductions.

What is a thesis-statement? The question of whether there should be a worldwide ban on the use of DDT is a complex one, to be sure. The harmful effects of DDT are well-documented and the evidence is incontrovertible. However, it is also undeniable that DDT has saved millions of lives in sub-Saharan Africa. New, less environmentally harmful methods of controlling malaria are being developed, but they are not yet ready for widespread use. Clearly, DDT should be banned worldwide, but the ban should be phased-in as these new methods become available to take its place.

What is a thesis-statement? The troubling phenomenon of football hooliganism has been with us for several decades, but the recent, vicious clashes between rival fans has fuelled the debate over its causes. One commonly held belief is that football hooliganism is caused by violence which has been pre-planned by itinerant fans. However, all available scientific research shows quite clearly that pre-planned violence is not the cause of football hooliganism.

What is a thesis-statement? To many, learning and memory are astonishing abilities that must obviously be caused by complex mechanisms. This view was attacked by behaviourism in the early twentieth century, but by the end of the century behaviourism, as a distinct philosophical position, had become unpopular. More recently, research in connectionism has shown convincingly that even very small networks of neurons are capable of learning and memory, thus vindicating behaviourism’s original insight.

What is a thesis-statement? Writing a thesis-statement is as easy as writing any other factual sentence. The challenging part is coming up with a good thesis and supporting it with an effective argument!!!

Frequently asked questions 1. Why am I finding it hard to come up with a thesis? The most common reason is that you are trying to come up with a thesis before you have done sufficient reading and research. You can’t come up with a thesis about an issue until you have researched that issue! Do the research first and then it will be possible to come up with a thesis.

Frequently asked questions 2. I’m having trouble coming up with a thesis-statement – help! The most common reason for this is that you are doing things in the wrong order. Do the reading and research first – make sure that you understand the issue. Then come up with a thesis. Then write your thesis-statement. If you do things in this order, you should find it easier to write your thesis-statement.

Frequently asked questions 3. I’ve done the reading and research, but I’m still having trouble coming up with a thesis! Are there differing viewpoints on the issue you have researched? If so, you could argue that a particular viewpoint is more plausible than others. If no claim seems worth arguing for, then you may have failed to understand the material you have read and need to read it again.

Frequently asked questions 3. I’ve done the reading and research, but I’m still having trouble coming up with a thesis! (continued) Check over the assignment instructions to make sure that your expectations for the assignment are realistic. For example, if you are asked to write a short thesis-based essay on women in sport, and the research includes lots of statistical data, you would obviously not be expected to include all that data in your essay – just come up with and defend a thesis pertaining to the main ideas supported by the data.

Frequently asked questions 3. I’ve done the reading and research, but I’m still having trouble coming up with a thesis! (continued) Think about the reading and research that you have done in relation to the main themes and messages of the course. These may give you a clue about what sort of claim would be good to use as a thesis.

Frequently asked questions 4. How long should my thesis-statement be? In a typical academic essay, a thesis-statement should be no more than one or two sentences long. Your thesis-statement needs to be clear for the reader, who will encounter it in the introductory paragraph of your essay. So when you write your thesis-statement, keep it clear and straightforward – avoid complicating details.

Frequently asked questions 5. I have come up with several theses, but I can’t decide which one to use. Select a thesis according to interest and academic suitability. Choose the thesis that most interests you. Select your thesis, bearing in mind that it must have relevance to the assigned topic or issue, must not be trivial, too wide or too narrow, and that it must be possible to support it with relevant, trustworthy evidence.

Other sources and resources Make an appointment for the Bethune Writing Centre Make an appointment for the Bethune Writing Centre (go to Master’s office at 205 Bethune to book a slot, (go to Master’s office at 205 Bethune to book a slot, or call ext ) or call ext ) Visit York Centre for Academic Writing online resources at: Visit York Centre for Academic Writing online resources at: The following books may be useful: The following books may be useful: Hacker, D. (2003). A Canadian writer’s reference (2 nd ed.). Scarborough, Ont.: Nelson Thomson Learning. Call number: PE 1408 H293 Troyka, L. Q. (2002). Simon & Schuster handbook for writers (3 rd ed.). Scarborough, Ont.: Prentice-Hall. Call number: PE 1408 T697

Other sources and resources For science students writing a scientific report, the requirements for a thesis are different from those stated here. The following book will be particularly useful: For science students writing a scientific report, the requirements for a thesis are different from those stated here. The following book will be particularly useful: Day, Robert A. (1998). How to write & publish a scientific paper (5 th ed.). Phoenix, Arizona: The Oryx Press. Call number: T11 D33