Chapter 5 Notes Johnson

Where Can We Find a Compelling Thesis

Within Every Great Thesis Is a Stimulating Question

  • When scholars publish their discoveries they must show their work or build a case to support their conclusions
  • Scholarly inquiry builds new knowledge or understanding by posing questions and gathering information
  • The originality of their arguments depends on that expertise
    • Keep reading
    • Apply your perspective
    • Make your own luck
    • Challenge yourself
    • Talk with others
    • Try free writing
  • ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
  • Scholars cannot always identify significant questions and problems without some help
  • Develop a list of questions that you could ask about your topic, based on the five categories of controversies

Chapter 5: Where Can We Find a Compelling Thesis

What are the right questions to ask?

  • Controversies about existence or fact: (Is it true? Did it happen?)
  • Controversies about definition or interpretation: (Does this case fit the definition? How do we interpret this information?)
  • Controversies about cause, consequences, or circumstance: (Was it intentional? Are there extenuating circumstances?)
  • Controversies about evaluation: (Is it right or wrong? Is it serious enough to warrant our attention?)
  • Controversies about jurisdiction, procedure, policy, or action to be taken: (What, if anything, should we do about it?)
  • Challenging. Scholars don't ask questions when they already know the answers. They pursue questions that require some kind of proof, scientific data, or investigation. These questions push scholars and their readers intellectually because they inspire careful, critical, and creative thinking.
  • Compelling. Good questions have significant consequences or implications for real people or real situations, even if the effects are mostly theoretical. The issues are important to the intended audience, and scholars are invested in finding reliable answers.
  • Controversial. Great questions don't need to be scandalous, but they usually inspire some degree of disagreement among readers concerning the best solution to a problem or answer to a question. Selecting a question that has a spark of tension can lead to a more provocative argument.

Can-and why would-you change your thesis?

  • Scholars typically have a tentative thesis or hypothesis in mind when they begin researching and writing, but they refine and change their views as they encounter better evidence and other scholars' findings. Their thesis ultimately evolves.
  • Settling on a thesis before writing closes off opportunities to learn.

Does the thesis have to appear at the end of the first paragraph?

  • On the one hand, showing your cards at the beginning of an argument can be more ethical because it's less sneaky. Because the audience already knows where the argument is going, they can evaluate evidence within that context, according to that purpose, as they go along.
  • On the other hand, the deferred or evolving thesis can also treat the audience as a partner investigator. If you present evidence without telling readers how to interpret it, they're free to draw conclusions for themselves.

What thesis statements should you avoid?

  • Cliched arguments. Cliches don't work in scholarly writing because their life has already been sucked dry; there's nothing left to discover or add to the discussion. Also, cliched arguments don't answer the So what? question. They may be interesting, but they don't solve an important problem or get to the heart of the matter.
  • "Interesting" arguments.This kind of argument can't be supported for an audience because it relies solely on personal opinion. Whether something's interesting is a matter of personal taste; it's not an argument that you can support with evidence.
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