This exercise is used as an effort to understand and write down what exactly I know as of right now about my topic and how I will form that into a thesis statement. In Ballenger's book, there are templates that are available for me to use in constructing my thesis statement. Below is a representation of what kind of thesis I have so far and what I have gotten from my research:
I have opted to form my thesis around a question of policy---
In the debate over what issues there are in foster care and how they can be prevented, I am persuaded that most important thing to do is go right to the source. When I say source, I am referring to a foster child's desires and opinions and a social worker's opinions on the topic seeing as both of these parties have experience with the system and know the pros and cons of the Foster Care Program.
This is an attempt at representing what I know so far about my topic and the question/argument that I tend to answer and be a part of. Obviously it is not as specific as my previous posts about my topic, but it is not meant to be. The purpose of this statement is to show that I have a direction for my paper and intend on addressing the issues that I found in my research on Foster Care.
Rachel, like you've done in this post, I love to see writers thinking out loud! Your post really shows your effort to wrestle with, narrow down, and focus your topic.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I can be of some help in this process.
First, as a part of your thesis you should name the "issues" you mention in the first phrase. For example, you might write: In the debate over how to prevent depression in foster care children...
I also think you should be more specific in the second part of your thesis so that a follow-up explanation is not necessary. Maybe you can consider how to incorporate the ideas from this sentence "When I say source, I am referring to..." as part of your original thesis sentence.
I recognize that one of a writer's most difficult jobs is to concisely and clearly state the central message of their essay in one statement, but I look forward to seeing you bring it all together.