Thesis Writing and Paper Outlining

8/3/2019 Thesis Writing and Paper Outlining

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/thesis-writing-and-paper-outlining 1/3

The Three Constituent Parts of a Successful Essay Outline(AKA: Essays According to Josh)

1) Thesis Statement Formulae

An argumentative thesis statement:

“[Phenomenon X] is the result of [___a___], [___b___] and [___c___].”

An exploratory thesis statement:“[Phenomenon X] is has been shaped by many factors, including [___a___], [___b___] and[___c___].”

An example from Josh’s second year history course:A case study of the [My Lai] massacre demonstrates how [A improper recruit training], [B

anti-Asian sentiment], [C Cold War containment policy], and [D the realities of modernwarfare] all contributed to [PHENOMENON-X the massacre within the larger and moreproblematic context of racism as historically integral to the US Military].

2) Arguments and Themes

The second part is the thematic grouping of your supporting arguments (which you uncoveredduring your rewarding and fruitful research). This is a nice, tidy, organized way to outline your paper for all of your arguments. It can also help you decide which arguments to include, andwhich to remove.

Continuing with Josh’s My Lai Massacre example:

Theme:[A improper recruit training]

Arguments (from research, pointing to your various sources):I. Troops on ground revealed to be unfamiliar Geneva Conventions

II. Insufficient training time

III. Instructors were diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder

IV. Troops taught to regard all orders as law, regardless of consequences

3) P.E.E. on Your Paper:

The goal of any successful essay writer is to P.E.E. all over it. The acronym P.E.E. stands for Point, Explain, and Expand. Structure each paragraph with each component and you’re on your way to a well-argued and coherent essay. Make one (or more) of these for each of your

arguments in each theme and your essay will flow beautifully.

I. The Point component is the topic sentence and outlines what the paragraph will beabout.

II. The Explain component is supplies the actual argument supporting the point (e.g.,statistical data, research findings of others, etc.) and can be several sentences long.



III. The Expand component comes at the end of your paragraph and may serve twofunctions; i) first, to reiterate the significance of your Point and ii) second, to provide atransition point into your next paragraph and argument.

The Skeleton of a Well Organized Paper

1) IntroductionBroadly outline what we’re talking about. Set the stage for our topic (i.e., the phenomenon under examination).

Thesis Statement:“[Phenomenon X] is the result of [___a___], [___b___] and [___c___].”

e.g., A case study of the [My Lai] massacre demonstrates how improper recruit training,anti-Asian sentiment, Cold War containment policy, and the realities of modern warfareall contributed to the massacre within the larger and more problematic context of racismas historically integral to the US Military.

2) Body of EssayTheme A: (e.g., improper recruit training)

Argument 1:Point: e.g., During the investigations of the Peers Commission, many troops reported being unable to remember being trained in the Genevaconventions of war)

Explain: e.g., Instead, troops noted the emphasis during training was placed on learning to regard orders as law, and not to make legal or ethical evaluations. When questioned about whether he was ever instructed to make a determination about the illegality of an order, Calley responded, “No, sir, I was never told that I had a choice… I was [trained]

to carry it out and come back and make my complaint” (Foner, 2007, p.134).

Expand: Despite the issuance of wallet-sized cards to soldiers containing the Geneva Conventions and rules for humane handling of enemy combatants (see Anderson, 1979, p. 139), the racist attitudes prevalent throughout the training process caused many troops to discount theimportance of the Geneva Conventions.

Theme B:Argument 1:

Point:

Explain:

Expand:

REPEAT THIS STRUCTURE UNTIL YOU’VE ADEQUATELY

EXPLICATED YOUR THESIS STATEMENT



3) Conclusion

Documents

Thesis Writing and Paper Outlining