This document provides guidance on writing an argument thesis statement for an argument essay. It explains that an argument thesis must take a stand on an issue that others could reasonably disagree with and be supported with evidence. It provides examples of weak and strong thesis statements and explains the different types of argument claims a thesis could make, such as claims of definition, cause and effect, value, or solutions. The document emphasizes thinking of yourself as an advocate for your thesis and considering how to reframe a research question into an argument thesis statement.

1. The Argument
Essay: Be an
Attorney
ENGL 111
Module11

2. Take a stand on the issue
If you’ve watched an episode of Law & Order, you’ll be familiar with
its famous introduction:
"In the Criminal Justice System the people are represented by two separate, yet
equally important groups: the police who investigate crime and the District
Attorneys who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories."
For the Annotated Bibliography, you were asked
you to think of yourself as a detective, an
investigator finding the sources of facts on the
crime.
For the Argument Essay, you should now think of
yourself as an attorney, taking a stand on the
facts and arguing your case.

3. Be an Advocate
An Advocate…
 Takes an informed stance on the issue
 Supports a specific viewpoint or course of action
 Attempts to convince others to accept this view (or least that the
view is reasonable) or take this action (or at least endorse the
course of action).
Attorneys are also called
advocates, someone who acts on
behalf of others, fighting for them
in the legal system…

4. Write an Argument-Based Thesis
Statement
To be an advocate, your thesis statement for the Argument
Essay needs to be…
 Focused
Makes a claim about some specific aspect of the issue rather
than on the issue as a whole
 Debatable
Takes a stand on the issue that
others may reasonably disagree
with
 Supportable
Offers a claim that can be proven
using sound reasoning and
valid evidence from research

5. Examples of Weak Thesis Statements
1. From Roen, Glau, and Maid 423
2. From Roen, Glau, and Maid 423
3. Based on Maimon, Peritz, and Yancey 129
Thesis Statement Its Weakness
I can’t stand war movies.1
not supportable: a personal preference
cannot be supported with evidence from
research
The National Football League is in
trouble.2
not focused: lacks any specificity about
how it is in trouble and why
Many developing nations suffer
from food shortages.3
not debatable: this is an easily
established fact rather than a claim with
which many people may reasonably
disagree

6. From Questioning to Arguing
Below are examples of research questions
from the Module 9 presentation Be a
Detective! Next to each are new argument-
based thesis statements derived from those
questions.
One approach to generating a thesis
statement for your Argument Essay is
to re-envision your research
question(s) for the Annotated
Bibliography as an argument-based
thesis statement.

7. Examples of Argument-Based
Thesis Statements
Controversy & Research Question Argument-Based Thesis Statements
Throughout the United States, more and
more cities have been enacting public
smoking bans. Smokers and business people
resist such bans while others find them
helpful and cite positive health outcomes.
What kind of ban, if any, should be enacted
against smoking?
Cigarette smoking should be banned in
enclosed, public spaces, where smoking
poses a significant risk to non-smokers’
health.
With the increase and strengthening of
public smoking bans, the practice of "vaping,"
consuming nicotine through a vaporizer
rather than a combustible cigarette, has
increased. While marketed as safe, many
warn of potential dangers vaping may have.
How risky is vaping and what, if anything,
should be done?
Vaping, like smoking, poses serious
health risks to young people. Thus, the
FDA should impose the same restrictions
on vapor cigarettes as it does on
traditional cigarettes.

8. Examples of Argument-Based
Thesis Statements
Controversy & Research Question Argument-Based Thesis Statements
Enacting gun regulations is challenging
because of the different and competing ways
in which the 2nd Amendment of the US
Constitution is interpreted by special interest
groups, congressional legislators, and the US
Supreme Court. How should we understand
the 2nd amendment going forward so that
public safety can be adequately addressed?
We ought to enact common-sense
measures, such as universal background
checks and mandatory reporting of
suspected straw purchases, to help keep
guns out of the hands of criminals and
the dangerously mentally ill.
There are two major forms of sex education:
Abstinence Only and Comprehensive.
Opponents of each of these forms who argue
they are ineffective or counterproductive, but
research suggests that both varieties show a
certain amount of effectiveness. Which kind
of sex education will most effectively educate
and protect teenagers?
A combination of sex education methods,
including abstinence-only for younger
teenagers and comprehensive sex-ed for
older teenagers, is the most effective way
to raise up young adults who will make
wise decisions regarding their sexuality.

9. Argument-Based Thesis
Statements
Most argument-based thesis statement will make
one or more of the following types of claims:
 Claims of Definition or Classification
 Claims about Cause and Effect
 Claims about Value
 Claims about Solutions or Policies

10. Claims of Definition or Classification
(Reid 442-443, “Purdue”)
These types of claims focus on debatable understandings of
facts, ideas, or principles (definition) as well as how those
facts or ideas fit specific criteria (classification).
 These types of claims can be tricky because one must avoid
focusing on facts or definitions that are not up for debate.
 A thesis based on this kind of claim is strongest when arguing
about facts, ideas, or principles many people misunderstand.
Weak claim: “Socialism emerged from the writings of Karl Marx.”
 This is simply an easily established fact
Strong claim: “Socialism, properly defined, is not a scourge to our
free society but is something we actually already do.”
 This claim stakes an argument for how a concept is
misunderstood or misapplied.

11. Claims about Cause and Effect
(Reid 443-444, “Purdue”)
These types of claims focus on the possible causes of a
particular problem or situation and/or the possible effects of a
particular problem or phenomenon.
 The causes and/or effects addressed must be debatable or in
question.
 You might also argue against causes and/or effects that others
claim.
 Also see CHAPTER 6, “Examining Causes and Effects”
Weak claim: “Your high school grades will affect the kind of college
you get into.”
 This is a claim about a cause that most wouldn’t doubt.
Strong claim: “School suspensions do not improve student
behavior; rather, they negatively affect the educational success of
students.”
 This claim stakes an argument about the negative effects of a
measure or action many people support.

12. Claims about Value
(Reid 444-445, “Purdue”)
These types of claims focus on making a judgment about
something’s worth, importance, or ethicality.
 Such a judgment must be based on reasons that your audience will concur
with; it can’t be based on personal preferences or your own personal sense of
morals or religious values.
 Such a claim should avoid the appearance that it is attacking others’ personal
morality or values
 Also see CHAPTER 10, “Evaluating and Reviewing”
Weak claim: “The banning of prayer in schools is reprehensible.”
 This claim dismisses many people’s strongly held views about
religious freedoms for the sake of one’s own religious views.
Strong claim: “Prayer in schools, if conducted in a way that respects
everyone’s individual freedoms, is not only constitutional but laudable.”
 This claim can be judged based on highly regarded constitutional
principles as well as on behavior and policy many people may
consider to be admirable.

13. Claims about Solutions or Policies
(Reid 443-444, “Purdue”)
These types of claims focus on proposed or existing policies/laws or
solutions to a problem.
 A thesis based on such a claim may either endorse or support a policy or
solution or argue against it.
 Must appeal to those who may benefit from the change in policy or solution as
well as those who must enact the policy or solution
 Also see CHAPTER 14, “Presenting a Proposal”
Weak claim: “Standardized tests in schools should be abolished.”
 This claim doesn’t lay out the benefits of such an action and may be
unfeasible.
Strong claim: “The high-stakes approach to standardizing testing is
leaving out some of our brightest students. Instead, the importance
placed on standardized tests should be reduced, making way for a
more comprehensive approach to measuring student performance.”
 This claim offers a solution that may be more feasible to implement
and suggests the benefits of enacting a new policy.

14. Combining Claims
Often claims of the kind above can be combined to make
more complex, interesting, and persuasive thesis
statements:
Thesis Statement Combination of Claims
A combination of sex education methods,
including abstinence-only for younger
teenagers and comprehensive sex-ed for
older teenagers, is the most effective way to
raise up young adults who will make wise
decisions regarding their sexuality.
This thesis involves both a claim of
definition or classification (explaining
and grouping different kinds of sex-ed)
and a claim about a solution (proposing
a new approach to sex-ed).
Vaping, like smoking, poses serious health
risks to young people. Thus, the FDA should
impose the same restrictions on vapor
cigarettes as it does on traditional
cigarettes.
This thesis involves both a claim of
cause and effect (establishing the
health risks of vaping) and a claim
about a policy (expanding FDA
regulations).

15. Works Cited
“Developing Strong Thesis Statements.” Purdue Online Writing Lab, 23
Nov. 2013, owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/588/01/. Accessed 3
Apr. 2017.
Maimon, Elaine, Janice Peritz, and Kathleen Blake Yancy. The Brief
McGraw-Hill Handbook. 2nd Ed. McGraw-Hill, 2012.
Reid, Stephen. The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers. 9th Ed. Prentice
Hall, 2011.
Roen, Duane, Gregory Glau, and Barry Maid. The McGraw-Hill Guide:
Writing for College, Writing for Life. 3rd Ed. McGraw-Hill, 2013.