Peer review date: TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, by 11:55 PM (23:55) PDT, with a 12-HOUR GRACE PERIOD
Final Submission date: FRIDAY, AUGUST 7 by 11:55 PM (23:55) PDT, with a 24-hour grace period.
Word Count: Approximately 300 words with a brief outline of your major arguments
Here is where you get the chance to start writing a key part of your paper. No matter what type of academic writing you are performing, an introduction is crucial, and you will often be called upon to draft a preliminary thesis.
What to do for the Introduction and Thesis
For most of you, your introduction will be one paragraph that includes your thesis statement. We’ll go over in some detail possible structures for introduction paragraphs, but, generally, they include an introductory sentence that sums up your topic; a roadmap or outline of what you’ll be doing in your paper (your proposal will probably form the basis of this roadmap), and your thesis. Ideally, your introduction also catches your intended audience’s attention and suggests why your topic is worthy of discussion. Please note that you will need to keep revising your introduction and thesis up until submission – they are difficult to write and tend to change shape as the project evolves.
A thesis clearly states your position on your topic. Where a topic is general and includes lots of different perspectives (for example, if you chose “decorating cookies” as your topic), a thesis makes an argument or claim about that topic (for example, “Buttercream icing should be used for soft cookies, while royal icing should be used for hard cookies”). A strong thesis is debatable; in other words, a thesis needs to make a claim that someone could reasonably disagree with. (For example, I couldn’t really disagree with cookie decorations as a topic, but I could disagree with your thesis and say that buttercream is best for hard cookies.) We will spend lots of time discussing thesis statements and revising your thesis statements. For now, your thesis will help to guide decisions not only about how to persuade your intended audience but also how to address those who disagree with your position. (Of course, evidence will also be crucial in this regard.)
What to do for the Outline
Your outline for the entire paper may be drafted before or after you write your introduction and thesis. In whatever order you create the outline, you need to follow these steps:
1. You need to determine the purpose of your paper and the audience.
2. Then you need to figure out your preliminary (draft) thesis. (You will do so in Practice Assignment 4 in Week Five so this shouldn’t be a problem.)
3. Finally, you need to figure out how you will organize your outline. In order to do so, please visit the Owl Purdue “Type of Outlines” site so you can determine an appropriate structure.
Your outline must include the following elements:
· 2 or 3 major arguments that relate to your thesis;
· An overview of the evidence you will use to support your arguments.