You want a good introduction, hmm.
You might talk about how information has become more available through technology, and outlets like Wikipedia have made information more available than ever before. The world is able to pool information together and make it available for almost anybody with a computer and an internet connection. It is like a crossroads for information and people can digest information from various countries around the world; learn about exotic animals, culture and language, and make preliminary assessments for where to travel.
Consider how difficult learning would have been several decades ago, and make a comparison to day. This is another product of globalization (a complex term, mind you), and helps level the playing field (the educational disparity between countries) for information and knowledge.
Well, I think there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that could be smuggled in there. You might consider putting something in. A child might be fascinated with an animal like a tiger, and of course, that child can find a wealth of information within seconds on Wikipedia.
The biggest benefit is the enormous amount of information that is made available to the world. The downside is that the information can be added or tampered with by anybody (those who are not experts or qualified to inject information). While there is this downside, Wikipedia is still a good place start looking for ideas (to guide your direction in research).
Some general guidelines for thesis and introduction:
1. Narrowing the topic until it becomes a thesis.
a.If the topic is the topos or place you are exploring, the thesis is your destination. Does every essay have a thesis? Yes. But sometimes it is a governing idea that is not stated directly. Expository essays are purely informative essays, but they are still claiming that the explanation or description of a certain phenomena is a good one.
b.begin by approximating your thesis. When vivid ideas or insights occur, jot them down, follow them through, and develop them into a thesis. A thesis is something you have discovered about the subject or text. Be flexible at the beginning. Don’t be afraid to change your thesis if you find a more productive avenue. But make sure you don’t start trying to link too many things together that don’t fit.
c.What kind of basic claim are you making? Questions to ask while forming your ‘opinion’, or conclusion, or thesis.
i.Causal claim: what caused this or that to happen? What was the effect of this or that?
ii. Process claim: how did it develop or change? or why? Or what stages did it go through?
iii. System claim: what function does it play? What part? Why is the ‘system’ not working properly?
iv. Comparative claim: what are the differences and similarities?
v. Evaluative claim: what are the strengths and weaknesses? Why is one way of doing it better than another?
vi. When you answer the question you will have come to a conclusion and therefore have a thesis.
vii. A thesis can be stated as a conclusion, or as a conclusion plus the supporting reasons: “This is the conclusion because of this, this and this.”
2. A good thesis should be addressing a clear issue
a. An issue is a debatable problem and you are offering a possible solution to that problem, or at least contributing to the solution. Your thesis will be your position on the issue, in other words, you need to take a stand or position in relation to the problem.
b.The thesis is a conclusion. It is the answer that you have arrived at after researching the problem/topic. You are often proposing something, and you are claiming your proposition is true.
c. A strong, clear thesis should provide a clear, organizing, and forward moving argument. It should be clear and succinct enough that you can keep the entire statement in your mind as you are researching and organizing your essay. Thus you may have to formulate and reformulate it until it is perfectly clear what you are trying to say or argue. Use the title to condense your thesis even further – or state it as a question.
d. Avoid merely restating the subject, as your thesis cannot be self-evident; it has to be something in need of argument, or in need of being proven. Avoid merely stating facts. You will use the facts to support your thesis, but your thesis has to be more than stated facts: it needs to be the conclusion you have arrived at after interpreting the facts.
e.Things are complex. We are not trying to clear up all the difficulties, but to make the difficulties clear. Balancing clarity and complexity is the art of the essay.
Your introduction should:
1. introduce the subject and/or primary source that you are working with.
2. indicate your research question.
3. reference to secondary material.
4. Thesis statement that responds to primary material and/or subject in the context of the secondary material. Your thesis is the position you a re taking in the debate over the issue, or a proposal for overcoming a problem.