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.

1. Academic Reading and
Writing
Week 4
Academic Language Centre, English Section

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