"A Problem That Demands a Thesis"

In crafting the first draft of my assignments, I found Bean's suggestion to "give students a problem or question that demands a thesis answer" (88) quite useful. The main problem I encountered with assignments in the writing lab last semester involved the intricate-but-confusing prompts that consisted of a slough of vaguely related questions. I have tried to keep the primary question of each assignment lucid and spare to avoid both ambiguity and overdetermination.

For the capstone assignment, I've tried a variation on this "thesis-demanding" format. I've asked the student to define (by his/her own lights) the most pressing world issue/problem that will face his/her generation. From there, I want the student to provide reasons for that choice and to work towards a global solution based on research and personal insight. It seems to me this type of assignment will allow discipline-specific ways of entry: the biology student may consider something like the loss of biodiversity as a result of climate change; the economics student may address national debt inequalities; the sociology student could pursue overpopulation, etc.

I hope this type of variation on Bean's theme will allow for a degree of self-determination and a sense of participating in the vital dialogues of the present.