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CollegeWriting.info
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CollegeWriting.info |
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Advanced Methods of Thesis Writing |
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These advanced ideas and/or applications can help you understand and use this paper's type of thinking better. For additional information, check the chapter's "Links" page, or use a search engine (e.g., www.google.com) with a key word search that uses the name of this type of paper and the words "writing" and "paper."
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Other Processes in Thesis Writing |
Making A Thesis Synopsis
One method of demonstrating you have written an appropriate thesis essay is to write a synopsis, summary, or précis of your paper. Sometimes instructors ask for such a synopsis. Your instructor may specify exactly what length and contents he or she wants. However, if she does not, then here is a system for developing a synopsis. A synopsis like this is required in many kinds of writing, both academic and professional. Usually you should limit its length to roughly 50-200 words. See also the "Summary of a Reading" chapter in the "Responding to Expository Readings" section.
Here is a way to develop your thesis synopsis:
- Title
- Your Name
- Thesis sentence written in introductory way.
- Sentence summarizing 1st division support(s).
- Optional: sentence summarizing each major example, story, detail, etc. in the division.
- Sentence summarizing 2nd division support.
- Optional: sentence summarizing each major example, story, detail, etc. in the division.
- Sentence summarizing 3rd division support(s).
- Optional: sentence summarizing each major example, story, detail, etc. in the division.
- Thesis sentence stated in summarizing way.
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Additional Types of Thesis Papers |
Writing Proposals
Proposal writing is the business and professional equivalent in many ways of writing a thesis paper. A good proposal describes a basic problem or need, offers a solution for solving it, gives the details of how to carry out the solution, and then describes what will happen once the solution has been enacted. In other words, a proposal uses plenty of detail to prove that something should be done. To see more about such writing, go to the chapter called "Writing a Proposal."
Writing Editorials
Newspaper editorials are another form of thesis writing. The structure often is much the same, though an editorial tends to be shorter than a thesis paper. However, the tone, style, and voice are developed differently. The style avoids being academic and instead is journalistic (see "Writing a News Article"). The tone tends to be a bit stronger--never bombastic or harsh, but usually with a little bit more emotion, often one that takes a superior tone such as strength or assurance, sorrow or forgiveness for the opposing side's positions, concern, care, and/or urgency. Such tones, though slightly more emotional, still should be handled delicately with a light touch. Many if not most editorials usually do not simply argue for something: they argue against something. In this regard, they are disagreements (see "Advanced Methods" in the chapter called "Disagreeing with a Reading").
Writing Essay-Answer Tests
See
also sample essay exams at
Colorado
State, Purdue, and
The
Sundance Reader.
One specialized form of a thesis essay is the written essay-answer test in which you must argue one or more points. Here is a method you can develop for taking an approximate one-hour written essay test in response to one question. You also can adapt this method to taking essay tests that have several questions per hour to answer. Here are five steps and a sample test.
FIVE STEPS
- DON'T START WRITING! Set up a time schedule first:
1/5 - 1/10 of your allowed time for brainstorming,
1/5 - 1/10 of your allowed time for revising/editing, and the remainder of your time for writing just one draft!
- BRAINSTORM FIRST: Write down ideas all over the paper or list things or outline. Then group them into a few groups by lines, circles, or numbers.
- WRITE: Write neatly and carefully--you only have time for one draft. Start with your body (1-4 sections of 1 paragraph each or more, depending on your time). Then do a strong conclusion with a summary sentence. Do the introduction with a summary sentence last, unless you know exactly what you intend to say when you start writing.
- GIVE LOTS OF DETAILS: As you write, cover as many items as you can. In addition, don't worry too much about depth on any one item. Go for quantity more than quality, breadth (width) of knowledge more than depth or totality of any one thing.
- REVISE. Allow time for dotting your i's, crossing your t's, adding in "not's" you may have left out, and adding a few more detail examples between the lines.
SAMPLE TEST
Here is a sample essay-answer final test for this course. This is a realistic practice test. While answering the questions in this test, be sure to do the following:
- Use the information above about taking written finals. USE THE TIME SCHEDULE!
- This test is open book. You may gather and use any notes and essays you’ve written for this course.
- Use a thesis-essay format for answering the question below: develop a central argument, three supporting reasons why it is true, and supporting details to prove each reason.
- As in many first-draft forms of writing, you may want to leave half a page of blank space at the beginning and write your introduction last so that you know more exactly what to say in it.
Here is the question:
Consider the requirements for this course and the work--both in quality and quantity--you did for the course. Then write a response to this question: "What grade do you deserve for the part of this course that has to do with improvement, rewriting quantity and quality, and participation?"
Be sure to use the time schedule discussed above. Assume that the total time you have is sixty minutes, and allow plenty of time for planning at the beginning and some time for editing at the end. Work for the entire time you have--it looks bad to instructors to leave a written final early. Be sure to use a thesis structure and lots of detailed examples, stories, quotes (as well as you can remember them), numbers, names, etc.
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Rhetorical Modes |
Go to the
"Rhetorical |
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Argument, Cause/Effect, and Exemplification
If you are working with the rhetorical modes, a thesis essay uses several of them. A thesis essay especially uses the mode of argument. It also uses cause/effect and exemplification.
Each of these modes has been defined and explained in the "Starting" section's "Rhetorical Modes" chapter. To review briefly, an "argument" simply is an opinion or position and the supporting reasons for it. "Cause/effect" simply means that the reasons for something and/or its results are presented. "Exemplification" in its specific sense means to give a concrete, detailed, one-person/one-place/one-time example; in its general meaning it suggests being giving concrete details about everything being discussed.
Each of these modes is vital in writing a thesis essay. Argument--also sometimes called "argumentation"--is the heart and soul of a thesis essay. Usually when argument is meant as a rhetorical form, it refers specifically to the first and more traditional form of thesis writing referred to in this chapter: a thesis sentence and its supports. However, the second and less traditional form of thesis writing in this chapter--the debate form with thesis, antithesis, and final choice--also uses a thesis sentence and its supports within each division. Therefore, thesis essay writing, whether by traditional or nontraditional form, requires the rhetorical mode of argumentation.
Cause/effect also is required in thesis essay writing. The reason for this is that cause/effect shows a logical chain of cause and effect, and so does thesis writing. The logical chain in thesis writing is the relationship between the thesis (and antithesis) and each support. The thesis is "true" because it either is caused by its supporting reason, or it is the effect or result of its reason. For example, using the "Santa Claus" thesis in the "Basics" section of this chapter, Santa Claus's existence arguably is real in some way because of (or as caused by) the existence of the spirit of St. Nicolas: Santa Claus's existence is the result of the existence of St. Nicolas. Therefore, cause and effect are established, and this is the nature of the logical relationship between thesis and support.
Exemplification also is required in thesis essays. In its specific meaning, exemplification must be used in some essays which depend upon example and story to help detail or prove their supports. In addition, all thesis essays need close, careful attention to detailed proofs, and in the sense that exemplification means giving lots of detail, all thesis essays use exemplification.
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Writing Theory for Students: Thesis Writing |
This section briefly discusses the theories that instructors use to teach this kind of paper, and then it sends you to the "Theory for Instructors" page, where there is discussion primarily for composition instructors.
Thesis writing is a relatively more recent arrival in schools. Hundreds of years ago, students were taught simply to transcribe information or, at most, to write reports of facts. It is only in the twentieth century that all colleges and universities began to accept and then actively encourage students to learn how to write an argument well. Some high schools still do not teach such writing, except perhaps as just a brief lesson in writing among many others in an English class as the "five-star" or five-paragraph essay: introduction, first supporting reason and supports, second supporting reason and supports, third supporting reason an supports, and conclusion. However, many high schools and even some junior highs and elementary schools have in recent decades began teaching thesis writing more often and in more complex ways. The basic "research report"--a sometimes long but otherwise simply organized report of facts in several sections--is gradually giving way across the nation to the expectation that students should learn not just to report facts, but also to organize facts into a thesis argument. And every college instructor expects that his or her students know how to write a thesis paper (which is one good reason why everyone should take a composition course as soon as possible in college, as almost all composition courses teach thesis writing).
However, there is one major problem with thesis writing. Such writing encourages students to express only one side of an argument. Increasingly, composition instructors across the country are working on finding ways of encouraging students to work with opposing points of view--opposing arguments. One way is to encourage students to write thesis papers that disagree with readings, short or long, or to otherwise negatively analyze or criticize (at least in part) readings that are assigned in the course. Another way is to teach thesis argument formats that include, within them, a recognition of what the opposition argues (and why the opposition is wrong). A third way is to teach or allow a "dialogic" form of argument: one in which more than one side is represented. This kind of writing becomes, in a way, a new type of research report: it "reports" on two, three, or even more opposing arguments surrounding a single issue. Sometimes this kind of writing is referred to as dialogic writing, sometimes as opposing-viewpoints writing, and sometimes as dialectical or dialectic writing. All three phrases have approximately the same meaning in general use.
The "Theory for Instructors" page for instructors in this major section discusses the educational theory of Brazilian political philosopher Paolo Freire. Freire's system of education appears to recommend dialogic rather than thesis argument because dialogic writing helps people combine reflection and action more fully and improves participation in an authentic, democratic society. If you are interested in reading this instructor-oriented page, please go to "Theory for Instructors."
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