Theses

• Every paper you write should have a main point, the main idea, or the central message. The argument(s) you make in your paper should reflect this main idea. The sentence that captures your position on this main idea is what we call a thesis statement.

• Can a formulaic approach to writing a thesis work? Yes, it can, BUT the formula most students learned in high school for writing their theses, the "Three-Point Method" doesn't work well in college. In this method, the thesis express the subject of the essay and provides three points the writer will address in the essay. This approach limits the topics and length of the essay the student can write. A thesis that used this method might sound like, "The American Civil War was caused by the legalization of slavery, the Southern economy's dependency on slave labor, and the North's demands for abolition." This is a thesis that would outline a five paragraph essay in high school and likely earn the writer high marks. However, in college, you'll be asked to write much longer essays and this thesis limits the topics you'd be able to address in your essay without going on a tangent.

• A less limiting formula for developing college level theses could look like this:

Subject + Position + Support (these supports should be both specific, but also broad enough to allow discussion of several topics, ( ie. not limiting).

• Let's try to revise our previous thesis example:

• "The American Civil War was caused by social, economic, and political differences between the North and the South rooted in the enslavement of Africans."

• This thesis seems pretty simple, doesn't it? BUT, it'll allow the writer to cover more topics related to how the North and South understood and engaged with slavery on economic, social, and political terms. Imagine brainstorming all the topics you could discuss. Bet it's more than just the three the former thesis allowed.

• Finally, people often ask where to place their thesis in an essay?

• This presentation will tackle the essential skill of thesis building. Every paper you write should have a main point, a main idea, or central message. The argument(s) you make in your paper should reflect this main idea. The sentence that captures your position on this main idea is what we call a thesis statement.

• For those who prefer to read the slides and presentation transcript, click HERE to see the original PowerPoint and notes.

What is a thesis generator?

• A thesis statement generator is an online tool designed to help you formulate the main ideas of your paper in one phrase. It is easy to use such tools. You will probably need to write down your topic, express your main point, provide your position on the problem, and add some arguments. A thesis generator doesn't create a final product, but can often help you develop a good working thesis during your paper drafting stage. Below are two helpful thesis generators to get you started if you're struggling to refine your ideas into a thesis. You may also consider searching the web for other generators to yield a variety of working theses.