MARCH 19

Project 3 Proposal
Thesis Statement
 REMINDERS AND UPDATES

Calendar and schedule Project 3 changes

• Proposal due today by 11:59 p.m. • Proposal due tonight
• Read Ch. 8 for Wednesday • Completed draft due April 2
• Class will not meet Friday, March 23 • Two days of peer review – 4/2 and 4/4

• Read Ch. 6 for Monday, March 26

• Class will not meet on March 28 and 30
• You will have homework assignments due
for each day.
 PROJECT 3 PROPOSAL

Goals and purpose Requirements

• Prepare to enter the conversation you have • Introduction
been researching.
• Approach to topic and thesis statement
• Use previous research to refine your topic.
• Intended audience
• Develop a working thesis statement to guide
• Documentation style
your paper.
• Working bibliography
• Must include 2 new sources that you are
considering using in the project.
• Request for feedback
 THESIS STATEMENTS

• A good thesis statement

• is debatable
• states an opinion or provides an angle on a topic
• clearly states the topic
• is narrow and focused enough to meet the needs of the assignment
• makes claims that will be supported in the paper
• Thesis statements have two parts:
• Topic – What you are writing about
• Angle – What your main idea is about that topic
 SAMPLE THESIS STATEMENTS

• A regular exercise regime leads to multiple benefits, both physical and emotional.
• Topic: regular exercise regime
• Angle: leads to multiple benefits

• The economics of television have made the viewing experience challenging for
many viewers because shows are not offered regularly, similar programming occurs
at the same time, and commercials are rampant.
• Topic: television viewing
• Angle: challenging because shows shifted, similar programming, and commercials
 POTENTIAL PROBLEMS
Too broad
Hospice workers need support.
• The sentence above actually is a thesis sentence; it has a
topic (hospice workers) and an angle (need support). But
the angle is very broad.
• When the angle in a thesis sentence is too broad, the
writer may not have carefully thought through the
specific support for the rest of the writing. A thesis angle
that’s too broad makes it easy to fall into the trap of
offering information that deviates from that angle.
Too narrow
Hospice workers have a 55% turnover rate
compared to the general health care population’s
25% turnover rate.
• The above sentence really isn’t a thesis sentence at all,
because there’s no angle idea to support. A narrow
statistic, or a narrow statement of fact, doesn’t offer the
writer’s own ideas or analysis about a topic.
• A clearer example of a thesis statement with an angle of
development would be:
• The high turnover rate in hospice workers (55
percent) compared to the general health care
population (25 percent) indicates a need to develop
support systems to reverse this trend.
BASED ON A TOPIC OF CHILDHOOD OBESITY, WHICH THESIS STATEMENT
WOULD BE THE STRONGEST?

a. There are many solutions to the problem of childhood obesity.

b. I know a lot of parents who are really struggling with the issue of childhood obesity.
c. With the number of children with obesity on the rise in the U.S., parents need to be
better educated about the causes of childhood obesity.
d. The percentage of children in the United States who are obese increased from
seven percent in 1980 to nearly 20 percent in 2008 (CDC, 2012).
 BASED ON A TOPIC OF MINIMUM WAGE IN THE UNITED STATES, WHICH
THESIS WOULD BE THE STRONGEST?

a. After much research, I have concluded that the minimum wage in the United States
must be raised.
b. The minimum wage in the United States should be raised to a living wage, as doing
so will benefit individuals, businesses, and the overall economy.
c. This paper will explore many issues related to minimum wage in the United States,
such as the way an increased minimum wage will impact individuals, businesses,
and the overall economy.
d. Polls show that most Americans would like to see the minimum wage in the United
States raised.
 REVISING A THESIS STATEMENT

• Thesis 1: Marge Simpson is important to the plot of The Simpsons.

• This statement is too vague and obvious.
• No one would argue with this statement of fact.

• Thesis 2: Marge Simpson is important to The Simpsons because she fulfills a

significant family role as a mother and housewife.
• More precise but merely restates basic premise of the show.
• It does not present an argument.
• Thesis 3: Marge Simpson is important to The Simpsons because she fulfills a
significant role as a teacher and caregiver to her husband and children.
• Again, more precise.
• Still does not move beyond the realm of fact.

• Thesis 4: While Marge Simpson may be a model caregiver for her family, she is a
different sort of model for her audience.
• Arguable to some extent since it takes a controversial stance.
• Statement is still a bit vague – What sort of model is Marge? How does she model for her
audience?
 BEST VERSION OF THESIS

• Despite her role as a seemingly submissive housewife and mother, Marge Simpson
functions for the audience of The Simpsons as a subversive feminist force against
“middle class values.”
• It is precise about how Marge affects the audience.
• Argumentative in nature.
• Terms like “middle class values” and “feminist” will need to be defined.
• This statement requires specific interpretations of the topic to prove its case.
 TIPS FOR YOUR OWN THESIS

• Don’t telegraph your thesis: You don’t need to state “This paper will show” or “I hope
to show”
• Answer the questions how, why, and so what?
• A thesis serves as a guide while you write. Check the body of the paper against it
since the thesis promises the reader what will follow.
• Your thesis may need to be revised as you write your paper. Think of it as a work in
progress rather than a finished product.
 • You will have 4 minutes to complete the following
tasks for each thesis statement. When time is up, I
will signal for you to switch papers.
• Write 1-2 sentences that gives feedback about the
effectiveness of the claim based on the following:
• Is the topic and angle clear?
THESIS • Is it specific?
STATEMENT SPEED • Is it arguable?
DATING! • Is it clear or does it contain vague words and
phrases?
• Does it suggest an answer to the “so what”?
• When you get to your own paper, read through your
feedback and try to revise your thesis statement
based on what your peers have said.
 FOR WEDNESDAY

• Read Thonney Chapter 8

• Be prepared for a reading quiz
• You will need access to your sources for an in-class activity on working with sources.

• Reminder: Your project 3 proposal is due tonight by 11:59 p.m.