ENGL 101: J. Stear's Class

This course is process-guided and requires that students follow the advice of Louisiana author Ernest J. Gaines, Read, read, read, and write, write, write.

Writing Techniques - Writing a Thesis Statement

Formulating a strong thesis statement is a process.

This paper illuminates the issues of Koreans in Japan from the Japanese colonial period (1910-1945) to the present.
- This is not a thesis statement but a very general description of the project; it does not make a claim but only vaguely states the topic ("issues of Koreans in Japan"). It is not debatable because it does not say anything we can agree or disagree with.
There were a number of political factors that contributed to the lower social position of Koreans in Japan from the Japanese colonial period to the present.
- This is a weak thesis statement. it does make a claim, but the claim is not specific enough. We learn that the paper focuses on the lower social positions of Koreans (as opposed to "issues" in example 1) and the author believes this position results from political factors. What is missing is a specific claim about what these factors are. This sentence could serve as a working thesis statement that will be later revised.
The lower social position of Koreans in Japan from the Japanese colonial period to the present was shaped by the decolonization process, the division of South and North Korea, and the contradictory policies of the Japanese government towards Koreans in Japan.
- This is a strong thesis statement. It makes a specific and debatable claim about what factors contributed to the lower social position of Koreans in Japan, so it summarizes the argument of the whole essay. At the same time it tells us how the argument will be organized: we expect that the author will first discuss the decolonization process, then the division of South and North Korea, and finally the policies of the Japanese government.