Name: ______

Building a Thesis!

What is a thesis? The thesis is the controlling idea around which you construct the rest of your paper. In a history paper, the thesis generally explains why or how something happened. Every word of your paper should support your thesis. Information you do not directly relate to your thesis will appear irrelevant. This means, of course, that in a paper with a weak or no thesis, much of the paper will appear to be irrelevant and unguided.
How do I present the thesis? The thesis should be contained in a single sentence that is concise and grammatically correct. This is usually the last sentence of the first paragraph. More than one sentence may be necessary to establish the thesis. The remainder of the introductory paragraph should draw the reader's attention to the problem the thesis confronts, and define key terms that appear in the thesis.
What about theses in essay exams? In an essay exam, the thesis is the one-sentence answer to the question posed; the remainder of the paper will prove the thesis.
The thesis is a scholarly argument. Most writing attempts to convince the reader of something. Even a poetic description of a rock is an attempt to convince the reader that the rock appears a certain way. A history paper takes a stand on a historical issue or problem, and attempts to develop a coherent and persuasive line of thought intended to convince the reader of the validity of that stand. Your thesis is the concise statement of your argument.

Examples:

  1. This is a good place to begin a farming civilization because it has natural barriers, a water source, and a good climate.
  2. Mesopotamia can be considered to have had advanced technology because this civilization invented irrigation canals, developed metal working, and planned and constructed complex city layouts.
  3. Clearly vocalizing language, innovating and optimizing forms of technology, and developing early forms of culture contribute to the general consensus that Homo Sapiens Sapiens were the most highly developed of the hominid species.

Quiz: (Circle the number of each statement you think qualifies as a THESIS)

  1. Archaeologists construct a story of our past using middens, location, and stratigraphy.
  2. Historians use mainly written sources, while archaeologists study mainly unwritten sources.
  3. Archaeology is more difficult than history because unwritten sources are more complex.
  4. Before the development of agriculture, hunter-gatherer tribes could not be considered civilizations.
  5. Egypt is a more advanced civilization than Mesopotamia because there was greater social mobility.
  6. Egypt is a more advanced civilization than Mesopotamia because there was greater social mobility and a more expansive empire.
  7. The Mesopotamian social hierarchy consisted of the Amelu, Mushkinu, and Wardu classes.

Quiz II. (Read the following sentence and double check your answers on 1-7 above. A thesis statement should be an ARGUMENT with ORGANIZED REASONS that help to prove it.)

Scale: (Thesis divisions should be even in scope. Circle the division that does not belong)

  1. Mesopotamian social hierarchy was made up of a high class, merchants, and an unskilled laborer class.
  2. Mesopotamians had a writing system, advanced cities, and wore jewelry.
  3. Hominids developed technology, controlled fire, and created stone tools.

Brainstorm: Start by listing everything you know about the topic

Categorizing: Now, figure out how you can group the ideas you brainstormed. You want each category to be even in scope and size (Categories are big ideas that contain lots of little ideas).

Thesis: Now, choose your strongest two or three categories and add them to your argument to make a thesis

Thesis: