Thesis Statements
· What are Thesis Statements?
ü A thesis statement is a single, complete sentence used to formulate the topic and give the point of view of the author. The author is you.
· What should Thesis Statements do?
ü Almost all assignments can be reduced to a single question. A thesis statement should answer a question. You formulate a question about your research and answer it in the thesis.
o You are given the topic: Computers in Society.
o You want to make a question related to the topic. You decide on the question: How do computers affect people’s lives in society?
o The thesis answers the question: “The computer plays an important role in society by affecting our work and our leisure time.” The rest of the paper should elaborate on the answer.
ü A thesis statement helps you to:
o Better organize and develop your ideas.
o Provide your reader with a summary of your argument.
ü A good thesis statement:
o Takes a stand and can be disagreed with.
o Deals with a subject that can be adequately treated within the framework of the assignment.
o Express one main idea.
o Give your own conclusions on a topic.
· Problems with Some Thesis Statements
ü Some thesis statements are too broad. That means that there is too much.
o For instance, the thesis statement: “Computers in society affect peoples’ lives.” cannot be reasonably disagreed with. There is also not enough detail. You want to ask yourself: what about peoples’ lives are affected?
ü Some thesis statements are too narrow. That means that there is not enough.
o For instance, the thesis statement: “Computers in society affect peoples’ gaming experiences.” while valid, it is probably too specific for your class.
ü Some thesis statements don’t say anything of substance.
o For instance: “There are positive and negative aspects of computers in society.” doesn’t say much at all. You need to elaborate. You need to be more specific.
ü Some thesis statements give more than one idea.
o For instance: “Computers in society affect peoples’ work and leisure and affect peoples’ gaming experiences.” gives two ideas. You’re saying too much. It’s not manageable. It should give only one idea.
