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The Sheridan Baker Thesis Machine

The Sheridan Baker Thesis Machine. If you cannot write well, then you cannot read well, and if you cannot read well, then you cannot think well. If you cannot think well, then others will do the thinking for you. Step 1: TOPIC. State the topic under consideration. cats freshman composition

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The Sheridan Baker Thesis Machine

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  1. The Sheridan Baker Thesis Machine

  2. If you cannot write well, then you cannot read well, and if you cannot read well, then you cannot think well. If you cannot think well, then others will do the thinking for you.

  3. Step 1: TOPIC State the topic under consideration. • cats • freshman composition • grades

  4. Step 2: ISSUE State the specific issue in the form of a debating proposition. • Resolved: Cats should be subject to leash laws. • Resolved: Freshman composition should be abolished. • Resolved: Grades are unnecessary in college.

  5. Step 3: POSITION + RATIONALE Using a because?clause, convert the resolution into a sentence that states your position on the issue and provides a main rationale for that position. • Cats should be subject to leash laws because they are inveterate wanderers. • Freshman composition should not be abolished because many freshmen are unpracticed writers. • Grades are unnecessary in college because students learn more rapidly without them.

  6. Step 4: POLISH & QUALIFY (although?clause) Refine the rough thesis: add any qualifications (although?clauses are good for this) and consider dropping overt use of because. • The crowded nature of city life demands that the cat's instinctive wanderlust be restrained. • Although gifted high school graduates should be exempt from freshman composition, most entering students need help in attaining college writing skills. • Although there may be a legitimate need to evaluate the work of college students, the traditional grading system hinders learning and stifles creativity.

  7. Step 5: REVERSE AND TEST Test your faith in the thesis and expose potential counter arguments by reversing your position. • The cat's independent and adaptable nature makes it the only pet capable of living an unrestricted existence within the city. • Although introductory composition may have remedial value for some students, most high school graduates possess writing skills sufficient for success in college courses. • Traditional grading procedures may offend educational purists, but public school systems require pragmatic approaches to evaluation.

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