Day, 2015. Web. 3 Nov. 2015.
Thesis Statement Example One:
The International Olympic Games offer athletes an opportunity to be exposed to new cultures, ideas and people.
Thesis Statement Example Two:
The Olympic Games offer the participants the ability to encounter new cultures, explore new countries, and exchange ideas.
Thesis Statement Example Three:
Although hosting the Olympics leaves many countries in debt, the Olympic games offer host citizens exposure to new cultures, ideas and people.
What this handout is about.
This handout describes what a thesis statement is, how thesis statements work in your writing, and how you can craft or refine one for your draft.
Writing in college often takes the form of persuasion—convincing others that you have an interesting, logical point of view on the subject you are studying. Persuasion is a skill you practice regularly in your daily life. You persuade your roommate to clean up, your parents to let you borrow the car, your friend to vote for your favorite candidate or policy. In college, course assignments often ask you to make a persuasive case in writing. You are asked to convince your reader of your point of view. This form of persuasion, often called academic argument, follows a predictable pattern in writing. After a brief introduction of your topic, you state your point of view on the topic directly and often in one sentence. This sentence is the thesis statement, and it serves as a summary of the argument you’ll make in the rest of your paper.
A thesis statement:
If your assignment asks you to take a position or develop a claim about a subject, you may need to convey that position or claim in a thesis statement near the beginning of your draft. The assignment may not explicitly state that you need a thesis statement because your instructor may assume you will include one. When in doubt, ask your instructor if the assignment requires a thesis statement. When an assignment asks you to analyze, to interpret, to compare and contrast, to demonstrate cause and effect, or to take a stand on an issue, it is likely that you are being asked to develop a thesis and to support it persuasively. (Check out our handout on understanding assignments for more information.)
A thesis is the result of a lengthy thinking process. Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment. Before you develop an argument on any topic, you have to collect and organize evidence, look for possible relationships between known facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the significance of these relationships. Once you do this thinking, you will probably have a “working thesis” that presents a basic or main idea and an argument that you think you can support with evidence. Both the argument and your thesis are likely to need adjustment along the way.
Writers use all kinds of techniques to stimulate their thinking and to help them clarify relationships or comprehend the broader significance of a topic and arrive at a thesis statement. For more ideas on how to get started, see our handout on brainstorming .
If there’s time, run it by your instructor or make an appointment at the Writing Center to get some feedback. Even if you do not have time to get advice elsewhere, you can do some thesis evaluation of your own. When reviewing your first draft and its working thesis, ask yourself the following :
Suppose you are taking a course on contemporary communication, and the instructor hands out the following essay assignment: “Discuss the impact of social media on public awareness.” Looking back at your notes, you might start with this working thesis:
Social media impacts public awareness in both positive and negative ways.
You can use the questions above to help you revise this general statement into a stronger thesis.
After thinking about your answers to these questions, you decide to focus on the one impact you feel strongly about and have strong evidence for:
Because not every voice on social media is reliable, people have become much more critical consumers of information, and thus, more informed voters.
This version is a much stronger thesis! It answers the question, takes a specific position that others can challenge, and it gives a sense of why it matters.
Let’s try another. Suppose your literature professor hands out the following assignment in a class on the American novel: Write an analysis of some aspect of Mark Twain’s novel Huckleberry Finn. “This will be easy,” you think. “I loved Huckleberry Finn!” You grab a pad of paper and write:
Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is a great American novel.
You begin to analyze your thesis:
Think about aspects of the novel that are important to its structure or meaning—for example, the role of storytelling, the contrasting scenes between the shore and the river, or the relationships between adults and children. Now you write:
In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a contrast between life on the river and life on the shore.
After examining the evidence and considering your own insights, you write:
Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain’s Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American democratic ideals, one must leave “civilized” society and go back to nature.
This final thesis statement presents an interpretation of a literary work based on an analysis of its content. Of course, for the essay itself to be successful, you must now present evidence from the novel that will convince the reader of your interpretation.
We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.
Anson, Chris M., and Robert A. Schwegler. 2010. The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers , 6th ed. New York: Longman.
Lunsford, Andrea A. 2015. The St. Martin’s Handbook , 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin’s.
Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson. 2018. The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing , 8th ed. New York: Pearson.
Ruszkiewicz, John J., Christy Friend, Daniel Seward, and Maxine Hairston. 2010. The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers , 9th ed. Boston: Pearson Education.
You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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Editor's note:
Cole Nichols defended his Barrett Honors College thesis entitled, "Vasectomy: Goals, Practices, and Effects" in Spring 2023 in front of committee members Jane Maienschein and Dina Ziganshina. https://keep.lib.asu.edu/items/184626
Vasectomy is one of few widely available methods of contraception for people with male reproductive systems aside from condoms, abstinence, and the withdrawal method, and it is the only one of those options that can be permanent (Amory 2016). The procedure’s prominence has led me to investigate the history of vasectomy and particularly the evolution in vasectomy technique over time. Since its introduction in the late nineteenth century, the procedure has had a variety of impacts on many people across the world. In this research project, I have sought to analyze what the technical evolution of vasectomy reveals about the changing priorities of the medical systems that use it. In particular, I point to ways the eugenics movement’s attempts to control individual reproduction have led to both vasectomy’s efficacy and its restrictiveness.
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Your thesis statement is one of the most important parts of your paper. It expresses your main argument succinctly and explains why your argument is historically significant. Think of your thesis as a promise you make to your reader about what your paper will argue. Then, spend the rest of your paper-each body paragraph-fulfilling that promise.
Thesis statements vary based on the rhetorical strategy of the essay, but thesis statements typically share the following characteristics: Presents the main idea. Most often is one sentence. Tells the reader what to expect. Is a summary of the essay topic. Usually worded to have an argumentative edge.
Crafting a good thesis is one of the most challenging parts of the writing process, so do not expect to perfect it on the first few tries. Successful writers revise their thesis statements again and again. A successful thesis statement: • makes a historical argument. • takes a position that requires defending. • is historically specific.
Thesis statements: Harry Truman's decision to drop the bomb on Hiroshima was motivated by racism. The US confrontation with the Soviets was the key factor in Truman's decision to drop the bomb on Hiroshima. This paper will demonstrate that in his decision to drop the bomb on Hiroshima, Truman was unduly influenced by hawks in his cabinet.
Thesis statements vary based on the rhetorical strategy of the essay, but thesis statements typically share the following characteristics: Presents the main idea. Most often is one sentence. It tells the reader what to expect. Is a summary of the essay topic. Usually worded to have an argumentative edge.
To prove thesis statements on historical topics, what evidence can an able young lawyer use? Primary sources: letters, diaries, government documents, an organization's meeting minutes, newspapers. Secondary sources: articles and books from your class that explain and interpret the historical event or person you are writing about, lecture ...
A thesis is the main point or argument of an information source.(Many, but not all, writing assignments, require a thesis.) A strong thesis is: • Arguable: Can be supported by evidence and analysis, and can be disagreed with. • Unique: Says something new and interesting. • Concise and clear: Explained as simply as possible, but not at the expense of clarity.
The thesis must be precisely phrased and coherent. Generalizations and a failure to define terms results in vagueness and lack of direction in argumentation. The thesis must be a declarative statement. The object of your research was to answer a question; when you found the answer, you embodied it in your thesis statement.
Developing a Thesis Statement for History More than most other academic disciplines, History is focused on clear, organized, and developed writing. And the key fundamental to writing in History is to focus on developing the proper thesis from start to finish.
The point you make is called a thesis statement. A thesis statement is not the same as a topic. Your thesis statement explains what you believe to be the impact and significance of your topic in history. Example: Topic: Battle of Gettysburg Thesis Statement: The battle of Gettysburg was a major turning point of the Civil War.
Thesis and Argument: Answers the inquiry question with a thesis statement that is historically defensible and supported by available evidence The Thesis Every history paper has a big idea that serves as an umbrella for all the evidence included in the essay. That umbrella is the argument, or the position the paper aims to prove within the essay.
If you would like further assistance with thesis statements or writing papers in general, the Writing Center is available on the second floor of the Library. The tutors are more than happy to help you and are available anytime from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, or 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday.
The type of thesis should match the type of project; that is, the thesis for a persuasive essay will have different requirements than one for an informative essay; all thesis statements have some characteristics in common, however. A thesis should always: Clearly and concisely state the main idea. Tie your supporting discussion into the main idea.
In writing the thesis, the author should keep in mind that the document will require multiple changes and drafts—perhaps even new insights. A student should gather feedback from a professor and colleagues to ensure their thesis is clear and effective before finalizing the draft. 6. Prepare to Defend the Thesis.
Writing a history paper is a process. Successful papers are not completed in a single moment of genius or inspiration, but are developed over a series of steps. ... Take stock & draft a thesis statement. By this point, you know what the prompt is asking, you have brainstormed possible responses, and you have done some research.
Your Thesis Statement MUST: Give specific details Go beyond facts to discuss the importance of a topic on history (impact, significance) Show the topic's connection to the theme - Debate and Diplomacy
A thesis statement is generally a single sentence (The last sentence of Intro) within the introductory paragraph of the history (or thesis) essay, which makes a claim or tells the reader exactly what to expect from the rest of the text. It may be the writer's interpretation of what the author or teacher is saying or implying about the topic. It may also be a hypothesis statement (educated ...
Studies to write a thesis that exceeds 20,000 words. Typical theses run somewhere in the range of 15,000-20,000 words. • All candidates for an honors degree in History and Literature must prepare a Senior Thesis. Students who do not complete a thesis are not eligible to graduate with honors in History and Literature.
A strong thesis statement that makes a claim and states the topics' historical significance is the bedrock of any good Youth History Day Project. Learning this skill will help students not only in history but in other subjects as well. Learning Objectives Students will understand the purpose of a thesis statement .
A Thesis Statement Template. January 2007. Revised June 2011 and March 2022. Thesis statements —the presentation of a thesis in the introduction of a work—can take many forms, so long as they pose a question and offer an interpretive answer. [1] Though I do not want to confine my students to formulas, here is one that may help them remember ...
A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay. It usually comes near the end of your introduction. Your thesis will look a bit different depending on the type of essay you're writing. But the thesis statement should always clearly state the main idea you want to get across. Everything else in your ...
Thesis Examples. Thesis Statement Example One: The International Olympic Games offer athletes an opportunity to be exposed to new cultures, ideas and people. Thesis Statement Example Two: State your claim about your topic, followed by example (s) of exploration, encounter and exchange. The Olympic Games offer the participants the ability to ...
A thesis statement: tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion. is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper. directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself.
Vasectomy is one of few widely available methods of contraception for people with male reproductive systems aside from condoms, abstinence, and the withdrawal method, and it is the only one of those options that can be permanent (Amory 2016). The procedure's prominence has led me to investigate the history of vasectomy and particularly the evolution in vasectomy technique over time.