Section 16: Sharpen the Focus
Skills Focus: Purpose Refining your thesis statementHW, part 1 Thesis Statement Workshop
- Review the thesis statement of your interpretive argument
- Is it arguable—is it a claim about which intelligent people might disagree? (thus not something obvious or a statement of fact)
- Is it provable with the evidence available to you?
- Is it narrow enough in scope to allow you to present your argument in the space available to you?
- Is it significant and interesting? (not a trivial or peripheral claim)
- For detailed advice on thesis statements, look at one or more of these guides:
- If you’d like, revise your thesis statement
- Email me your thesis statement (revised or not) by midnight Thursday
HW, part 2 Finish watching The Circle (2017), based on Dave Eggers’s 2013 novel of the same title (available streaming on Amazon Prime video)
In 2014, the university's First-Year Convocation speaker was Dave Eggers, who spoke to incoming students about his 2013 novel The Circle, which had been assigned as a common text. If you're interested, you can see the reading guide the university distributed here.
HW, part 3 In the online discussion section of our canvas website, share your thoughts about The Circle.
HW, part 4 Reread your draft and see if you can improve on it. Before noon on Saturday, upload another draft of your interpretive argument essay to our canvas website (a revised or unrevised version of the draft you uploaded Wednesday)