2015-09-28
The COM 156 course is a popular course but it is also difficult for many students. The primary issue with this course is that many students have a difficult time understanding how to write a thesis for a research paper. This misunderstanding comes from the fact that the course material does not really explain thesis creation in depth. The problem is that during the course a student will write a research paper normally a persuasive essay, but try to use a thesis equation for this paper. In week 4 of the course students are instructed to use the following thesis equation:
limited topic + controlling idea, point, attitude, or slant = thesis statement
This is an extremely confusing way to teach someone how to write a thesis. This one-size-fits-all approach causes many issues. Because the student does not understand what a thesis is, or how to write it; they continue writing papers which are not properly oriented to the directions for assignments. Students need to understand that a thesis is the most important part of the paper because it informs the reader of what to expect in the paper. The thesis creates an argument for an essay. Using the formula provided simply does not provide the student with deep understanding of the thesis statement.
If you are at the point in the COM 156 course where you need to develop a thesis, then you need to understand that the thesis needs to take a position that needs to be proven. For example, a strong thesis would be:
Although the US government continues to insist that marijuana is dangerous, its own scientific research continues to contradict this position.
This is a strong thesis because it is not too broad and not too narrow. This is the worst problem for most students because they do not understand how a thesis is supposed to approach a topic. This problem is due to the fact that not enough time is spent on thesis generation. Students are told in week 1 of the course to pick a topic, which is a good start, but then they are told in week 2 to put together a research plan. The research plan is nothing more than an Q/A worksheet:
What is your general topic or area of interest?
What is it about your general topic that interests you?
What questions do you have about the topic that you would like to investigate? List them.
Would any of the questions you listed make a good subject for a research paper? Pick or adapt one question and make it into a research question.
The problem with this approach is that it oversimplifies the process of writing a paper. Picking a subject, creating research plan, and writing a thesis are not step by step concepts. These ideas are all intrinsically connected such that one idea impacts the others. For instance, in order to write a thesis you must first research your topic. You may find that the thesis you had in mind was not workable or that it needed to be more precise. Students in COM 156 typically go through each assignment as though they are separate concepts. When they get to the point where they need to create the thesis they simply write down a statement that they feel they are interested in and then in the following weeks they attempt to write the paper based on this thesis.
If you are a student in COM 156 and you are in the first few weeks of the course, then you should be concentrating your efforts into the creation of a strong thesis. The way that you do that is by first reading about your subject. You may be interested in something like drug legalization. You may have opinions concerning this topic (hopefully that is why you chose it!) start by writing down those opinions. As you read about your topic, begin replacing your personal points with facts. Like this:
I think drugs should be legal. (Why?)
I think drugs should be legal because legalization would reduce crime. (Is this true?)
Legalization of drugs will reduce crime. (How?)
While researching this topic, you will begin forming the thesis you desire. You will need to keep questioning the topic and continuing to critique it until you have a finished product. While it is possible to write a thesis prior to investigation this is typically not how it is done. According to the University of North Carolina (2013):
A thesis is the result of a lengthy thinking process. Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment. Before you develop an argument on any topic, you have to collect and organize evidence, look for possible relationships between known facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the significance of these relationships. Once you do this thinking, you will probably have a “working thesis,” a basic or main idea, an argument that you think you can support with evidence but that may need adjustment along the way (UNC, 2013).
As you can see, the thesis is a highly interconnected with research. It is entirely possible for you to begin with a particular view of topic and then to change your opinion during the research process. This is how a thesis should be developed, because it will provide a deeper understanding and unique perspective concerning the subject.