Week 4 Discussion Question LIB 356

The major claim (or “thesis”) you plan to make in your final paper should answer your research question. You may not have completely finalized that claim yet, but it will be helpful to articulate your current thinking. You can (and should!) revise your thesis as you continue your research and writing.

For the Week 4 Assignment you will submit a draft of your thesis. In this workshop forum you will work collaboratively with your classmates to develop your thesis and the overall argument in support of that thesis. Read the instructions for the Week 4 Writing Assignment, and then post your research project’s major claim (or “thesis”) using the format described in The Craft of Research section 8.2.1: “Although I acknowledge _____ , I claim _____, because _____” (see p. 122-124). Additionally, as required in the Week 4 Assignment, give the most important reasons and evidence for that claim.

Requirements: Post a first draft of your thesis and argument by Day 3. Review your classmates’ posts, and provide a substantive response to at least two of your peers by Day 5 (see below for additional guidance on writing a good response). After your classmates critique your draft, revise it in a follow-up post by Day 7.

Guided Response: This forum is a collaborative writing workshop, which provides students with the opportunity to try out ideas and receive feedback from their peers. It is not a traditional “discussion” or conversation. Rather it is a place for constructive criticism. To that end, help your classmates clarify their claims and strengthen their arguments. Evaluate one another’s evidence as described in section 9.4 of The Craft of Research (p. 135-138). If your classmate faults your argument, revise your post and try again. For example, you might revise your evidence to make it more sufficient, accurate, or authoritative. Or you might qualify your claim to make it more credible (see p. 127-128).