Discussion board 3.2 and responses

Now that you have chosen a topic, narrowed it, and formulated a research question, you need to do some preliminary research in order to come up with a thesis statement. To begin preliminary research, you will research tertiary sources like Wikipedia and dot-com websites. Now remember that NONE of these types of sources can be used in your final paper. They are only here to help you understand your topic better and to gain a full understanding of both sides of the argument. Follow the steps below to complete preliminary research and formulate a working thesis:

1. Read all of the opinion articles over your topic from Opposing Viewpoints if your chose a topic from there.
2. Do a general Google search over your research question/topic and read newspaper articles and other dot-com websites. Be aware that some of these sites might be VERY BIASED. So make sure you read both sides of the debate!
3. Read about your topic on Wikipedia to understand it fully.
4. Read and annotate the PPT over “Creating Thesis Statements”
5. Answer your research question with your stance on the topic. That will be your working thesis. Do not include your reasons in your thesis. They belong as the topic sentences of your body paragraphs!

Post your working thesis in this discussion board. Then comment on at least two of your peers. But be sure to read everyone’s thesis. Reading everyone else’s thesis will help you know if you are on the right track or not when creating a claim. When commenting on your peers, consider these questions. Is the thesis statement narrow and qualified (see the PPT over thesis statements for more information about qualifying)? Is the thesis a claim that can be proved with reliable and credible evidence? Is the topic interesting and relevant? 

Remember, that this is the thesis you will use in your argumentative research essay!

peer 1 post:

Nate Bebe 

After extensive research on my topic (social media), I have come up with the following thesis for my argumentative essay:

Due to it’s focus on being attractive and gaining the attention of others, social media promotes narcissism to teenage girls, and ultimately these young girls suffer significant psychological and social problems as a result.

it is my personal stance that the thesis statement I provided above is true and correct. I agree with this thesis statement.

peer 2 post :

Suong Lam 

Overall Rating:

based on my research question of: 

“How strict parents affect young children psychological health, especially in Asia, by pushing them to achieve?” 

My thesis statement is: 

   Strict parents, such as Asians parents, tend to push their children toward dreams that the kids don’t want to achieve and accidentally affect their young mental healths in a bad way, creating mental illness such as anxiety or depression.