Prepare: In order to successfully complete this week’s assignments, read the following chapters from the text, Essaying the Past: How to Read, Write, and Think about History:
- Chapter 5: Search Engines, Research Ingenuity
- Chapter 6: How to Read a Book without Ever Getting to Chapter One
- Chapter 7: Analysis: The Intersection of Reading and Writing
- Chapter 8: Making a Case: An Argument in Three Parts
- Appendix E: Web of Lies? Weighing the Internet
Reflect: A strong history paper is driven by an analytic thesis statement. An analytic thesis will let the reader know the argument you intend to make and is a definite assertion of your answer to a question. It should present a precise claim, which you can then support with specific evidence from primary source texts and relevant scholarly sources.
The thesis addresses these issues:
- What is your point?
- What are you trying to prove?
A good thesis has the following characteristics:
- It is analytic, rather than descriptive. It explains how or why what you are asserting is important.
- It is precise. A statement so general or so “safe” that it fails to present a strong position is a weak thesis.
- It is something worth arguing about. Read your thesis and ask yourself, “so what?” Why is this claim significant?
- It is clearly and convincingly supported by the rest of the essay.
Write: Consider the definition of a strong, analytic thesis statement presented above. In your initial post of at least 250-300 words:
- Explain the historical context most directly relevant to your chosen topic.
- Describe potential sources that are relevant to your chosen topic.
- Present your preliminary analytic thesis statement.
- Support your work by providing properly-cited references to at least two sources you plan to use in your paper.
