This document discusses academic reading, writing, and thesis statements. It provides guidance on analyzing a text for how the author establishes authority, makes arguments debatable, and states their main point. It also discusses writing a thesis statement, including that it should cover all paper information in a complete sentence stating what will be proved. An example thesis covers three topics that will be discussed in body paragraphs. Both implicit and explicit thesis statements are described.
2. Crocker: close reading.
- In the introduction of a text the reader must
be convinced that the writer is an authority
on the subject. How does Crocker go
about?
- How does he make his topic debatable?
- How formal is Crocker’s language?
- Does he use sources? How?
- What is Crocker’s main point?
- What is Crocker’s view on US foreign
policy?
3. Writing forum
• Does the summary capture the essence of the
original?
• Does it contain elements of interpretative language?
Underline / highlight.
• Does the summary feature a research question / thesis
statement?
• How is the research question / thesis statement
defined? Implicitly or explicitly?
• Does the author use first-person pronouns (“I” or “we”)
in the research question/ thesis statement? Please
avoid this.
4. Writing forum
- Discuss similarities
- Discuss differences
- Has anyone missed the main points? Or
misunderstood aspects? Discuss
- Recapture the main points of the article
together.
- Discuss what you find the most interesting
issue in the article.
5. What is a thesis statement?
- What is a thesis question and what is a
thesis statement? Any differences?
6. What is a thesis statement?*
- A statement that covers all the information
in the paper.
- It is a complete sentence which expresses
what you believe and what you intend to
prove in your paper.
* van Loon et all, Academic Writing in English, a process- based approach, Coutinho p. 97
7. What is a thesis statement?*
- Example:
- The fact that there is a (1) gender based
disparity in salaries within the European
Union (2) inhibits women from pursuing
careers in all possible branches and (3)
delays economic growth throughout Europe.
Academic Language Centre
* van Loon et all, Academic Writing in English, a process- based approach, Coutinho p. 97
8. What is a thesis statement?*
- Body paragraph 1 topic: gender based pay
gap.
- Body paragraph 2 topic: limited career
choice for women.
- Body paragraph 3 topic: effects on the
European economy.
Academic Language Centre
* van Loon et all, Academic Writing in English, a process- based approach, Coutinho p. 97
9. What is a thesis statement?*
- If, during the writing process, the
information changes or information is
added, the thesis statement will need to be
adjusted.
- Important advice is not to make your thesis
statement neither too broad nor too narrow.
Academic Language Centre
* van Loon et all, Academic Writing in English, a process- based approach, Coutinho p. 97
10. What is a thesis statement?*
- Implicit thesis statements do not
announce the purpose or aim of the paper
but do state the problem. Example:
Therefore, women should not join the
military because they are physically weaker
and emotionally less stable than men.
* van Loon et all, Academic Writing in English, a process- based approach, Coutinho p. 98
11. What is a thesis statement?*
- Explicit thesis statements announce the
purpose or aim of the paper clearly.
Example: The purpose of this paper is….
* van Loon et all, Academic Writing in English, a process- based approach, Coutinho p. 98
12. What is a thesis statement?*
- Debatable statements are statements with
which other people may or may not agree.
They are sometimes called ‘arguments’,
‘claims’ or ‘assertions’.
- Example: “Every country should donate
funds to third world countries”.
* van Loon et all, Academic Writing in English, a process- based approach, Coutinho p. 99
13. What is a thesis statement?*
- Non-debatable statements are statements
with which no people would normally
disagree. They are stating ‘facts’.
- These statements are mainly used in
expository essays, that represent a body of
knowledge rather than an argument.
* van Loon et all, Academic Writing in English, a process- based approach, Coutinho p. 99
