Research Project Wakelet: Developing the Thesis

You have spent previous weeks in the capstone working on developing and researching your individual global ethical dilemma. Now it is time to really get down to business and draft this paper! This week, you will work on developing a thesis statement and a detailed outline. You will share your completed outline in the discussion forum below.

Think about your sources (see the annotated bibliography you submitted last week) and ideas you have obtained from this research. Remember that you have been collecting your ideas in your Research Project Wakelet. You may want to write down some notes, and your Research Project Wakelet would be a good place to do this. The idea here is to allow yourself to be creative and not to place limits on yourself. This is the planning stage of your writing and there is no “incorrect” idea at this point. Now is also the time to start developing your thesis statement.

Your thesis statement is the foundation for your paper; it is an essential element and will help organize your writing. The thesis is a discussable claim about your topic, and you should keep in mind that everything in your paper exists to support the claim you’re making. A well-written thesis statement will share your point of view about the topic (without saying things like, “I believe” or “I am going to tell you”), be discussable, and contain keywords connected to the organization of your paper. Consider the thesis statement to be a contract between you and your audience and readers. The thesis will give clear direction as to what the paper is exploring and how it will be presented. You do not want your thesis to be too narrow or too broad, and it needs to be something you can examine deeply (not a mere statement or announcement about your topic).

Assignment Guidelines

Once you have reviewed the tutorials about developing a thesis statement, you are ready to write your “working thesis.” It is called a working thesis because as you draft your paper, you may find that you need to revise it. The working thesis is a place to start, and it gives your writing some direction and acts as a guide. As you develop ideas, you will want to return to the thesis statement and be sure your ideas connect and support the thesis.

Start working on your thesis statement ideas in your Research Project Wakelet. When you think you have written a good working thesis statement, you will want to start developing your detailed outline. Use the Wakelet as your notepad and drafting area.

A detailed outline will help you organize the structure and give you a plan for your paper. You will be able to look back at your outline as you write your draft. Think about your thesis statement and the research you have done so far as you brainstorm ideas for the paper. Write these subtopic ideas down in your Research Project Wakelet. Keeping track of this work in the Wakelet will help you, your instructor, and any tutors with whom you may work find support for your ideas. If you have a well-written thesis statement, your thesis should have included key ideas which will help you draft your outline.

Your outline should include the following sections, at a minimum:

• Introduction (open with an engaging hook sentence)
• Rationale for one side of the dilemma (at least three points)
• Rationale for the other side of the dilemma (at least three points)
• Compare this issue in different countries (at least three countries)
• Conclusion
• References