N A G OYA U N I V E R S I T Y L I B R A R Y W O R K S H O P S 2 0 1 7

Academic WritingandLogical Thinking
May 17 ~ June 14, 2017

Instructor: Dr. Paul Lai

N A G OYA U N I V E R S I T Y L I B R A R Y W O R K S H O P S 2 0 1 7Review

Writing is a process ofcommunicating thoughts
through the arrangement of texts

All academic writers are required to know

The Writing Requirement
How words can be properly arranged
to express the ideas.

The Thinking Requirement
How ideas can be properly arranged
so that they can be properly expressed
through words in a clear & convincing
manner.

Main point of my talkTraining of logical thinking skills
is needed in order for your thoughts
to be communicated properly
in an academic paper.

教養教育院

Main point of my talkTraining of logical thinking skills
is needed in order for the paper’s
thesis statement to be convincing.

教養教育院

ThesisStatement

Abstract

Supporting
Premise(s)Introduction

OthersHow to make yourwriting clear

Group work:

Discuss with your group members
about the paper that you are planningto write.
Summarise the main point of thepaper in one sentence.

ThesisStatement

Being Clear

Being Clear inCommunication

Having a Clear
Thesis Statement

Concise Summaryof themain research claim

Example 1A- (TS)Contemporary art is not easy for viewers tounderstand. Therefore, museums arepreparing various kinds of support methods
and they are offering information about artists
and artworks. Especially now, digital media iswidely used with the development of ICT.
[submitted as a “thesis statement” by a graduate student from the school of Information Sciences]one-sentence statement thatencapsulates
the main claimof you research paper.

(Before)

Contemporary art is not easy for viewers tounderstand. Therefore, museums arepreparing various kinds of support methods
and they are offering information about artists
and artworks. Especially now, digital media iswidely used with the development of ICT.
(After)Digital media is used to facilitate the viewers’
understanding of contemporary art.

Thesis Statement

Support 1

Support 2

Support 3

Although a thesis statement
is normally written in justone-sentence, it isdif ferent from anormal sentence inmany aspects.

(1) A thesis statement must have a truth-value.
In other words,a thesis statement must be either true or false.

(2) A thesis statement should be objectivelyverifiable.
In other words,
The truth value of a thesis statement should be
independently verifiable from a third person pointof view.

(3) The truthfulness of a thesis statement needs
justification through argumentation.
In other words,a thesis statement is not merely a representationof some factual event.
it is a belief statement that such and such isthe case, whose truthfulness requires justification
through collecting evidences and arranging themin a convincing way.

(4) A good thesis statement is not trivial.
Consider the following two belief statements:“The earth orbits around the sun.”
Unlike when it was first claimed by Nicolaus
Copernicus in 1543, the thesis statement now is trivial.

“The orbiting speed of the earth is getting slower, andafter 10,000 years later one day will last 30 hours.”
This thesis statement is not trivial, and requires
justification.

(5) A good thesis statement should be as specificas possible so that its truth values can be verifiedeffectively.
Compare the following two belief statements:“Japanese university education system is problematic.”
Too broad, what “problematic” means is unspecified.
Trivial too, no education system is unproblematic in practice.

“One fundamental problem in Japanese university
education is the lack of logical thinking education.”
A specific problem is mentioned. And the thesis statement
requires justification through argumentation, etc.

(5) A good thesis statement should be as specificas possible so that its truth values can be verified
effectively.
For the same reason that it should not be a broadstatement, a thesis statement should not be avague statement.
e.g. “Smoking is hazardous to health.”
Too vague, what “hazardous” means is unspecified.
Trivial too, we all know that smoking is hazardous to health.

One possible improvement:“Smoking is likely to cause heart disease.”(6) A good thesis statement should havea non-compound sentence structure.

Everything in the thesis statement
must be proven.

Which one of the following is a satisfactory thesisstatement?
1.

Is it possible for one day to have 36 hours?

2.

Let’s have 36 hours in one day!

3.

One day needs to have 36 hours!

4.

It is a fact that one day has 24 only hours.

5.

I wish that one day would have 36 hours after 1,000 years later.

6.

I believe that one day will have 36 hours after 1,000 years later.

7.

I believe that one day has 24 hours.

Which one of the following is a satisfactory thesis
statement?

1. Internet addiction is likely to cause academic
failure, job loss, and a breakdown in personalrelationships.
2. Internet addiction is a well-known problem today,and many people suffer from it.
3. There is no question that Internet has changed ourlives.

Which one of the following is a satisfactory thesisstatement?

1. Dream Yoga can help you develop awareness indreams.
2. Dream Yoga, which is one Buddhist path toenlightenment, can help you develop awareness indreams.
3. Dream Yoga can help you develop the ability to beaware that you are dreaming.

Group Exercises

Thank you very much!