Many beginning writers tend to think of a thesis statement (often one sentence) as a rather artificial construct or thing, but it is actually just an extension of a logical thought process that we apply in our daily lives, which is something you should feel a little bit more comfortable with after English 101.

In any case, whether arguing over what movie to go see, trying to persuade someone to try a new food, sport, etc., or defending our values/beliefs, we use thesis statements almost every day. We give our position, and then we support it with main points, details, or examples.

So, related to that, for this discussion, there are several parts:

A. I would like you to share your thesis statement. Under your thesis sentence, list at least three main supportive points. The goal here is to stimulate ideas for the upcoming argument essay.

B. Next, tell us what concerns you have with your current thesis statement.

C. Provide a review of at least TWO peers’ thesis statements (and supporting points); please try to review peers’ statements who haven’t received a review, so that everyone gets some feedback! 🙂

PLEASE use the following questions (1-4) in your review, which will help ensure that you’re responding to your peers in a thorough and detailed manner:

1. What claim is the thesis making? Is it an arguable claim? In other words, is the writer taking a position on a certain topic?

2. Is the thesis suitable? In other words, is the argument one that the writer can adequately defend and support in the length requirements of the paper? Is the thesis too broad? Too general? If so, explain.

3. Does the thesis give you a clear indication of what the paper will be about as well as the complexity of the argument that the writer is presenting?

4. Do the supporting ideas appear to support/defend the thesis? How could the writer improve their supporting points?

This discussion is worth 25 points.