Sunday, October 26, 2008

Final Paper: Thesis statement....how do I write one?

Some clarification on your final paper
For your final paper, you are not writing a report-that simply gives factual information.  You should be writing a research paper with a position that can be argued, something that takes a critical look at the topic.  I would also suggest you narrow down your topic as much as possible, in keeping with the thesis statement.  Your thesis statement must reflect your attitude towards the argument-letting the reader know right off the bat where you will take them-find your own voice.  Please do not assume the reader is someone that is familiar with the topic of art/technology.  Yes, I am the person reading your paper, but I am not the audience.

I strongly suggest that you also use at least one print source and not just online sources. Wikipedia is not a valid source and often online sources contain information that is not factual, which will ultimately get you into trouble. Remember the student I mentioned who discussed a Robert Frank's work, but it wasn't Frank's work?  This happened because they trusted an online source and their grade suffered because of this error.

For questions about how to write your thesis statement and as a future source for info on organizing/writing your final paper (arguments, bibliography, citing sources, style, etc), check out the writing center link for the University of North Carolina.  Here is a link specific to writing a thesis statement.  Midway in the page, there is a section that describes what a thesis statement is. Also of note, the section on writing a paper in regards to the art history, which may be very helpful to you.  Another important page on this site is plagiarism.  If you do not cite your sources, it is considered plagiarism.  You also have the option of working with the WSU-V writing center, so please utilize that resource.