MFA Critic Lecture

What is a Thesis Statment?

• Is an initial building block of the thesis, and is "a basic argument” that clearly describes what a thesis is expected to demonstrate

• Is a sentence or paragraph that summarizes the argument you plan to make in your thesis, and the supportive evidence you plan to use to back up that argument

• Provides a “roadmap” for the reader telling where you plan to go with your thesis

• Must persuade the reader that the claim you make is important to your academic field

Monday, February 22, 2010

A Good Thesis Statement should:

✤ Make a knowledge claim offering a new approach or idea in a particular field, and to explain why it is new. The purpose of any academic thesis is to add to the existing pool of knowledge in a particular area, or to “fill in the gaps of knowledge.”

✤ Makes an argumentative assertion that summarizes the conclusions you have reached about your topic after reviewing the literature. This assertion must be: Specific enough to be “proven” within the boundaries of your thesis

✤ Identify the relationships between the pieces of evidence that you provide in the paper

✤ Outlines the scope, purpose and direction of your paper. After finishing your thesis statement, readers should clearly know the essence of your intended project, the boundaries you intend to place on it, and no more.


Thesis Statement and Research Question:

The thesis statement is a preliminary answer to the research question you pose.

Your task is to turn your working research question into a thesis statement.

Source: http://www.tadafinallyfinished.com/examples-of-thesis-statement.html


http://www.tadafinallyfinished.com/examples-of-thesis-statement.html

http://www.tadafinallyfinished.com/examples-of-thesis-statement.html

Critical Approaches for Developing Thesis StatementsKeith Webb


Deconstruction:

✤ Text vs. Text or Text vs itself. (Design vs. Design)

✤ This criticism deals with how a body of text or work contradicts itself or is contradicted by another work. It approaches texts or works as being imperfect and strives to expose those imperfections.

Apostle St. MatthewEl Greco

Apostle St. MatthewEl Greco


Ethnocritizism and Multicultralism:

✤ The minority voice.

✤ This method compares or provides a means of examining text or works from a ethnic or specific cultural view. It might compare one body of work to another body of work from another culture.


Feminist Criticism:

✤ Examines criticism from the feminine point of view.

✤ It may investigate what role the female creator had in it’s development, the feminine style or theme. It may make comparisons to male creators or works, societal themes relating to women vs. masculine constructs and/or sexuality.


Formalism:

✤ The work as an aesthetic object.

✤ Disregards the creators intent. There is only the object. It includes every aspect of the work. The critic considers composition, perspective, point of view, positive and negative space. This form deals with the material itself and only the material. Pieta

Michaelangelo


Historical Criticism:

✤ Historical influences of the work.

✤ Examines influences such as the author’s life, era or time line, social timelines for examination.

Andrea Mantegna


Marxist Criticism:

✤ Argues between classes of people.

✤ What the “haves” say about it vs. what the “have-nots.” Basically makes an argument based on one or two classes. Rich vs. Poor. This critical analysis also reflects the economic and social attitudes of the work. Portrait

Carl Marx


Moral & Philosophical Criticism:

✤ Examines the work’s ideas and values in relation to a particular ethical, philosophical or religious vantage.

✤ For example, what would Moses, the Pope, Socrates, or religious group’s point of view be of a work.

Pope Benedict XVIPope Benedict XVI


Mythic and Archetypal

✤ Mythological and symbolic standards.

✤ Patterns are universal.

✤ An example might be how Hester Prynne’s scarlet letter changes its meaning throughout the story. In this case the symbol changes it’s meaning.


New Historicism:

✤ Not only interested in what it means, but what it does.

✤ Revival of the old in the new. Example would be retro styles or designs.

✤ A question might be, “How did the 50s effect Sonic Drive-In’s marketing position and its application today?”


Pluralism:

✤ Examines a multitude of relationships in criticism to make an argument.

✤ Feminism vs. Marxism, Historical vs. Formalism, etc.


Psychoanalytic Criticism:

✤ Freudian and Jung proponents.

✤ Try to reveal the hidden meaning in the work. This approach uses Jung’s analytical psychology and Freud’s subconscience psychology theories to help the critic find the true meaning.

Oedipus RexOedipus Rex


Reader Response Criticism:

✤ How does the reader respond to the work.

✤ This deals with the point of view from the reader and a valid reading. It may deal with preconceptions of the work as well. Q: How do you interpret this image?

Salvador Dali


Rhetorical Criticism:

✤ Proponent for a particular belief. Propaganda.

✤ The critic might focus on the influential nature of the work and it’s effectiveness to the intended audience.

Socialist poster,There is nothing more superior than the term,

“Working Man.”Monday, February 22, 2010

Structuralism:

✤ Examines how humanistic predispositions impact the perception of the work.

✤ How do we use this to fit our interpretive expectations? If God created it, it must be good. If Satan created it it must be bad. Think about the construct in which something has made.

Michaelangelo


MFA Critic Lecture

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