{"id":263,"date":"2014-11-24T03:05:37","date_gmt":"2014-11-24T03:05:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/writeherewritenowwriteon.wordpress.com\/?p=263"},"modified":"2016-02-04T16:03:27","modified_gmt":"2016-02-04T22:03:27","slug":"yea-or-naysayer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/content.principia.edu\/teaching-excellence\/yea-or-naysayer\/","title":{"rendered":"Yea or naysayer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"Body\"><span class=\"Body__Char\">by Laura Tibbetts<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Body\"><span class=\"Body__Char\">I used to think that the process of writing a research paper was essentially the following: <\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li class=\"Body\"><span class=\"Body__Char\">Gather information. <\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"Body\"><span class=\"Body__Char\">Come up with a thesis. <\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"Body\"><span class=\"Body__Char\">Write about the information in order to prove the thesis. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p class=\"Body\"><span class=\"Body__Char\">However, a couple years ago, I read a book by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein called <\/span><span class=\"Body__Char\">They Say \/ I Say<\/span><span class=\"Body__Char\">, which changed my perspective a bit. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Body\"><span class=\"Body__Char\">One of the topics of the book is the importance of including a \u201cnaysayer\u201d in thesis papers. The term \u201cnaysayer\u201d refers to someone who disagrees with a point that you are trying to prove. It may seem counterintuitive to include contradictory ideas in your paper, but when used correctly, the contradictory ideas can make your thesis even stronger. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Body\"><span class=\"Body__Char\">Why?<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Body\"><span class=\"Body__Char\">Because they provide an opportunity to respectfully explain that while the naysayer\u2019s opinions are valuable, your thesis should be considered correct for whatever reasons you present in your paper. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Body\"><span class=\"Body__Char\">This allows you to show that you are aware of the different perspectives on your topic and that you have thought through them and chosen your thesis for a reason.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Body\"><span class=\"Body__Char\">The point of the naysayer is to create a conversation that allows you to prove your thesis, or argument. Without a naysayer, your thesis paper would be purposeless, because you would basically be trying to prove a point that no one was even questioning in the first place. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Body\"><span class=\"Body__Char\">The naysayer does not necessarily have to be a specific scholar; it could be the opinion of a group of people, or it could simply be a common perception about your topic that you would like to debate (e.g. \u201cIt may seem that\u2026\u201d or \u201cIt is generally believed that\u2026\u201d). <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Body\"><span class=\"Body__Char\">Whatever form it takes, a naysayer is a valuable tool for making research papers more meaningful, interesting, and convincing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Body\"><em>Laura Tibbetts is a French and art major, and her favorite college academic experience so far has been studying abroad in France.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Laura Tibbetts I used to think that the process of writing a research paper was essentially the following: Gather information. 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