Thesis Statements

Thesis Statement “A good thesis statement tells readers what the subject is, and, more importantly, it tells them how you plan to treat your subject. It also serves as a personal guide to help you focus your subject throughout the research project. In addition, your thesis helps you to prioritize your research time, as you decide whether to read a particular book or skim it, photocopy an article or take a few notes on it, view a video in its entirety or fast-forward to the conclusion.”

Good Thesis Statement A Good Thesis Statement contains a subject + an opinion (therefore, the subject is debatable) A manageable / limited subject + A specific stand, feeling, or feature Multicultural Education is vital to a society made up of many different peoples Genetic Engineering + living with uncertainty about its effects = The present generation has to live with uncertainty about the effects of genetic engineering

How to write a Good Thesis Statement ProcessExample Select a General Subject Endangered Species Narrow your subject Programs to protect the tiger in China Select a working thesis The effectiveness of programs to reintroduce the tiger into China Put your thesis into the form of a question How effective are the programs to reintroduce the tiger into China Compose a final statement The programs to reintroduce the tiger into China are not achieving all of the desired results.

Evaluating The Thesis Sentence Is the thesis stated in a clear, direct sentence? Have you answered the question, or just restated it? Have you acknowledged the other side of the case, if it is appropriate? Have you used “loaded language”/ Does your thesis focus on a specific idea? Have you deleted phrases like “I think,” “I believe,” or “In this author’s opinion?” Never contain qualifiers (e.g. maybe, perhaps, kind of, etc.)

Evaluating your final thesis statement Is the thesis supported by the information you have gathered? Does the thesis suggest a pattern of development for your essay ?

General The thesis statement usually appears at the end of the first paragraph, but sometimes at the end of the second paragraph. Your topic may change as you write, so it is normal to revise your thesis statement as you go.