1 juni 2021
Unit 4: Argumentation, identifying a research problem and formulating a thesis statement
Videos: Video 8: What is an argumentative essay? Video 9: What do you want to argue? Homework task(s): Read assigned case study materials Hand in Assignment 2: Critical Reflection Suggested tasks for the tutorial: Exercise on argumentation in case study texts In groups, using a case study article: 1. What is the research gap that the article aims to address? 2. Identify the central idea or central argument of the article. • How is it expressed in the text? • Where is it expressed in the text? • What is the relation with the research gap that you identified in (1)? 3. Does the author argue for one point of view, or evaluate different perspectives? Discussion questions on thesis statements • What is a thesis statement, and how is it different from a research question? • What makes a good thesis statement? • Are these good or bad thesis statements? - ‘Urbanisation increases the population of cities.’ - ‘Are people who live in cities healthier?’ - ‘Urbanisation is driven by people moving from rural areas, by people in cities having more children, and by longer lifespans in cities.’ - ‘On balance, cities and urban living today have important health advantages, particularly in the developing world.’ * *this thesis statement is taken from Leon, David A. “Cities, urbanization and health”, International Journal of Epidemiology 37, no. 1 (2008): 4–8. https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dym271
Philomeen Dol, Elly Dutton, Bryan O'Donovan, Gea Hakker