Intro with thesis statement and part 2 of conceptual map
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ESSAY # CONCEPTUAL MAP
PART 1: PROVISIONAL THESIS: Making a concession in your thesis is optional, but you must account for the two significant parts of the thesis: “this is what I think” (topic/stance) and “this is why it’s important” (significance, so what?). Your thesis should take the form of a single sentence, and it should find the sweet spot between being too broad and too narrow. Please avoid listing, and please neglect “I think” or “I believe” statements (which are ultimately redundant and simply draw attention to the sentence’s nature as an opinion). CONCESSION [optional]:
TOPIC/STANCE [“THIS IS WHAT I THINK”]: SIGNIFICANCE/SO WHAT? [“THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS”]: COMBINE THESE ELEMENTS INTO A SINGLE SENTENCE HERE:
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PART II: THE ESSENTIAL STEPS TO SUPPORT YOUR THESIS Study the internal logic of the thesis to track the necessary steps one might take to support it. These “essential steps” often develop naturally from the syntactical structure of the thesis, and they should propose a determinate order for the major concepts you will develop to support your thesis. Please list these concepts in chronological order, and please use complete sentences. STEP 1: STEP 2: STEP 3: STEP 4: STEP 5: STEP 6: STEP 7: STEP 8: STEP 9: STEP 10:
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PART III: PARAGRAPH DEVELOPMENT Now that you have the essential steps of your argument established, further develop each section by determining how many paragraphs you’ll need to accomplish each section. Please outline the CLAIM, ILLUSTRATION, and ANALYSIS for each paragraph of every section. Paragraph 1: Claim/Point/Main Idea: Information/Illustration/Proof: Analysis/Explanation/Significance: Paragraph 2: Claim/Point/Main Idea: Information/Illustration/Proof: Analysis/Explanation/Significance:
Paragraph 3: Claim/Point/Main Idea: Information/Illustration/Proof: Analysis/Explanation/Significance:
Paragraph 4: Claim/Point/Main Idea: Information/Illustration/Proof: Analysis/Explanation/Significance:
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Paragraph 5: Claim/Point/Main Idea: Information/Illustration/Proof: Analysis/Explanation/Significance: Paragraph 6: Claim/Point/Main Idea: Information/Illustration/Proof: Analysis/Explanation/Significance:
Paragraph 7: Claim/Point/Main Idea: Information/Illustration/Proof: Analysis/Explanation/Significance:
Paragraph 8: Claim/Point/Main Idea: Information/Illustration/Proof: Analysis/Explanation/Significance: Paragraph 9: Claim/Point/Main Idea: Information/Illustration/Proof: Analysis/Explanation/Significance: