What is a Thesis? Persuades your reader to your point of view It is a road map for the paper: a summary of what your paper is about A thesis is an answer to a question Has opposing sides; is not a fact. Is usually located in the beginning of your paper

How do I know if my thesis is strong? Check with your teacher. Think about the following questions: Did I answer a question? Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? Is my thesis statement specific enough? Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering? Does my thesis pass the "So what?" test?

So What? Are you teaching me something new? I hope to show why medieval teenagers lacked personal freedom. The lifestyle of a teenager in the Middle Ages was very different from the lifestyle of most modern American teenagers. Young people in the Middle Ages, who were considered young but responsible adults by the age of sixteen, had fewer social choices when compared to modern American teenagers and lived without personal privacy or freedom.

Another Example The North and South fought the Civil War for many reasons, some of which were the same and some different. A weak thesis. "What reasons? How are they the same? How are they different?" Interpret it—why did one side think slavery was right and the other side think it was wrong? While both sides fought the Civil War over the issue of slavery, the North fought for moral reasons while the South fought to preserve its own institutions. Now you have a working thesis! But it’s still a little vague and your thesis probably wouldn’t be disputed among academics. While both Northerners and Southerners believed they fought against tyranny and oppression, Northerners focused on the oppression of slaves while Southerners defended their own right to self-government.

Thesis Statements What NOT to do

1. Neutral Statement: no hint of the writer’s position There are unspoken standards of beauty in the workplace. Revised: Beautiful people get an unfair advantage in the workplace.

2. Too broad: only an announcement This paper is about violence on TV. Revised: TV violence has to take its share of blame for the violence in our society.

3. A fact that is not arguable Plessy v. Ferguson, a Supreme Court case that supported racial segregation, was overturned in 1954 by Brown v. Board of Education. Revised: The overturning of Plessy v. Ferguson by Brown v. Board of Education has still not led to equality in education.

4. A truism: obviously true Bilingual education had advantages and disadvantages. Revised: Bilingual program is more effective than an immersion program at helping students grasp the basics of science and math.

5. A religious conviction Christianity is the only real religion. Revised: The rise of Christianity during the 1980’s has negatively influenced politics in our country.

6. Opinion based only on feeling Waterskiing is a dumb sport. Revised: Water-skiing should be banned from public beaches.

7. A sweeping generalization Women understand how to do housework. Revised: A rise in the sales of housekeeping books among men and women suggest a new interest in the domestic arts.