Selec%ng and Narrowing Topic, and Thesis Statement Heng Sovannarith Introduc%on •  One of the first and most important steps towards wri%ng an essay/paper is selec%ng a topic and coming up with research ques.ons, appropriate for the length and style of the paper. •  If a student has a specific assignment from the instructor/professor, the whole process becomes much easier, as at least the broad theme is already selected. •  If, however, one is free to write an essay on any topic (within the class discipline), then it becomes more tricky. Usually many BA (and indeed MA) students feel lost and do not know where to start. Selec%ng a Topic •  Review assignment guidelines for requirements. •  Not too broad or too narrow (depend on assignment length) •  Relevant in the context (audience, %me, situa%on, place, etc.) –  Debatable, controversial, important •  Sources are available Selec%ng a Topic (cont.) Avoiding topics •  Commonly wriNen about –  Too difficult to add your own insight –  Too easy to plagiarize –  Might bored audience •  Simplis%c issues, easily answerable –  Won’t test your research or cri%cal thinking skill. Lead to clichés. •  Arguments that overly reply on religion or ethical perspec%ves. –  Audience might not share your beliefs Narrowing a Topic •  You will need to narrow your topic. •  How do we narrow the topic? •  Narrow your topic by associa&ng –  Time (18th century) –  Place (Cambodia) –  Person/Group (Pol Pot) –  Aspect/Event/Angle (historical, sociological, psychological, policy impact, etc) Narrowing a Topic (cont.) Brainstorming Narrowing a Topic (cont.) •  For example, you can narrow the broad topic “drinking and driving” by assigning a place, %me period, and group of people to the topic. •  For example, inves.gate the effects of teenage drinking and driving in Cambodia during the 2020s. Narrowing a Topic (cont.) •  Another technique is to ask yourself who, what, where, when, how, and why ques&ons. The following ques%ons about the broad topic “American Civil War” help focus the topic: –  Who led the Confederacy during the American Civil War? –  What were the causes of the American Civil War? –  Where did American Civil War ba7les take place? –  When did Florida secede from the Union? –  How did women par%cipate in the American Civil War? –  Why did African Americans fight in the American Civil War? Example • 
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Broad topic: Demographic change and social policy Time: present Place: Asia, more specifically, Cambodia Aspect: ageing of the popula%on Restricted topic: Ageing and social policy Narrowed topic: Ageing and social policy in Cambodia Research ques&on: What are the implica%ons of ageing of the popula%on in Cambodia on the social policy reforms? Example (cont.) •  For a shorter essay this can be narrowed down even more: What are the implica-ons of ageing of the popula-on in Cambodia on the taxa-on and re-rement policies? Prac%ce Topic: Internet Focus: e-­‐business in Cambodia Issue: ?? How is the online shop created in Cambodia e-­‐
business? •  How can we process the E-­‐commerce in Cambodia? • 
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Prac%ce •  Topic: culture •  Focus: Khmer movie •  Issues: ?? Thesis Statement (cont.) •  Thesis (plural: theses, pronounced THEES-­‐
eez): The point that an essay is trying to prove. Also known as the claim or argument. •  Everything in a persuasive essay relates to the thesis, either as evidence, explana%on, elabora%on or rebuNal of alterna%ve claims. Thesis Statement (cont.) •  A thesis can be expressed as a statement •  the thesis statement, which is a sentence or two in your introduc%on that tells the reader what the thesis is. Thesis Statement (cont.) •  The thesis statement is that sentence or two in your text that contains the focus of your essay and tells your reader what the essay is going to be about. •  The thesis statement usually appears near the beginning of a paper. It can be the first sentence of an essay, but that oben feels like a simplis%c, unexci%ng beginning. It more frequently appears at or near the end of the first paragraph or two. Thesis Statement (cont.) •  A thesis can be –  informa.ve (in the case of a descrip%ve essay), or –  argumenta.ve (in the case of an argumenta%ve, or persuasive essay). •  But they are also different. Informa%ve thesis •  The informa%ve thesis is simply a statement that iden.fies the topic and sums up the contents of the paper (a liNle like a topic sentence for the whole essay) Informa%ve thesis (cont.) •  A informa&ve/descrip&ve thesis –  makes an “is” statement –  appeals to evidence that anyone (given enough training) can observe and confirm –  appeals to logic that anyone (again, given enough training) can test and confirm –  deals in measurement, analysis, interpreta%on, explana%on Informa%ve thesis (cont.) •  Some examples of descrip&ve theses: –  Racism in this country has historical roots in the theb of indigenous land and the enslavement of African peoples to work that land. –  Global warming is real and is caused by human ac%vity, not natural changes in the climate. –  American popular music is rooted in the folk tradi%on of African Americans. –  The United States does not offer equal economic opportunity to all of its ci%zens. Argumenta%ve thesis •  The argumenta%ve thesis, on the other hand, must also state an opinion, something that will be debated, argued, and defended in the paper. Argumenta%ve thesis (cont.) •  Descrip%ve and prescrip%ve theses –  A descrip&ve thesis makes a claim about how things are. –  A prescrip&ve thesis makes a claim about how things should be. Argumenta%ve thesis (cont.) •  A prescrip&ve thesis also uses evidence, logic, measurement, analysis, interpreta%on and explana%on. However, unlike a descrip%ve thesis, it also –  makes a “should” statement –  appeals to shared values or morals—assessments of what is “good” and “bad.” Argumenta%ve thesis (cont.) •  Some examples of prescrip&ve theses: –  We all need to work hard to overcome the legacy of slavery and racism. –  Global warming must be stopped! –  Music teachers should teach their students about the African American roots of American popular music. –  The United States economic system should be reformed so that everyone has equal economic opportunity. Quali%es of a Strong Thesis Statements •  A strong thesis has three important quali%es: it should be specific, explanatory, and argumenta%ve. •  Specific: –  It should argue a specific aspect of the topic. –  • It should be focused enough so that it can be fully explored within the scope of the paper. •  Explanatory: –  It should contain some form of reasoning or explana%on for the posi%on it holds. –  It should jus%fy the posi%on to some extent. For example, agreeing or disagreeing with something is not enough. –  The overall reason for agreeing or disagreeing must be provided. Quali%es of a Strong Thesis Statements (cont.) •  Argumenta&ve: –  It should be debatable. It should take a stand and say something relevant and important about the topic. –  It should not summarize or state the obvious (the purpose of the argumenta%ve paper is to argue, not to observe or to describe). –  It should contain a posi%on, an argument, which will require suppor%ng ideas and evidence.