Evaluation argument essay
Week Eight: Evaluative Arguments
ENGL 1302 Composition II
1
At its simplest, an Evaluative Argument is a review, giving an opinion on the quality (based on your own criteria) of the subject.
Evaluations have more in common with Strong Response essays than they do with traditional persuasion, in that they require minimal research (you have to at least be familiar with what’s being evaluated!).
Allyn & Bacon claim that the persuasive nature of an evaluation makes it different from a typical movie or restaurant review that “simply note the good points and bad points of the thing being evaluated.”
I would personally argue that this is no longer the case, especially in the case of media reviews, which almost always take a side.
What is an Evaluative Argument?
To get an idea about the kind of writing we’re talking about, you’ll be trying some in your teams.
Allyn & Bacon presents an example of comparing cell phones which is … quite dated. We’ll be doing an updated version.
In your teams, discuss or demonstrate some of the features (if possible) on an iPhone and an Android phone.
Which phone do you prefer, and why?
Answer the questions under #3 on page 362 in the text: for each of those people, which phone would you suggest for them and why? (Assume the Android phone is the latest Samsung Galaxy, for ease of comparison)
We’ll take 15 minutes for this, then come back together to discuss our responses.
Evaluation Practice
Criteria-Match Process
Compose a series of criteria as to what determines quality in your mind, then line up the evaluation subject against those criteria and determine whether it meets those criteria or not.
Criteria will be the primary arbiter of “good” or “bad” in this process.
A subject does not have to meet all criteria to be judged as “good.”
The met criteria then become the reasonings behind your evaluative argument.
Example
YouTube: How It Should Have Ended – HISHE Review of Wonder Woman
What are the reviewer’s criteria for his review? Use the table on page 363 as a guideline for figuring out the implied criteria.
Approaches to Evaluations
Purpose and Context
It’s important to keep in mind the context of the subject being evaluated, as well as the context and background of the evaluator. The writer’s inherent biases and/or background will influence the criteria used.
As an example, the HISHE review of Wonder Woman is from the perspective of a superhero fan, implying he is at the very least familiar with the comic book source material.
Special Problems
Different classes – subjects should be compared only to other members of their class/category. Do not compare apples to oranges.
Competing standards – perfection vs. reality. Be up front in regards to whether the criteria being used for evaluation is ideal or achievable.
Seductive empirical methods – rationalizing everything into numbers. Good evaluations take the nonquantifiable into account in addition to anything that can be quantified.
Tyranny of cost – is something automatically better because it’s more expensive? (Spoiler: no.)
Issues Regarding Criteria
Necessary vs. Sufficient vs. Accidental Criteria
Sufficient criteria – baseline, nominal criteria. The least you need to get by.
Necessary – what you feel is acceptable.
This is not necessarily the same as sufficient. A job which gives you a lot of time for your family but pays nearly nothing can be described as “Necessary but not sufficient.” Not all criteria are met.
Accidental – added bonuses which are neither necessary or sufficient, but are nice to have. These are not required, but are an added benefit.
Issues Regarding Criteria
The development of arguments for evaluation is very similar to that for classical arguments. Every claim needs to have a reasoning behind it, and evidence to support that reasoning.
Going one step further, in evaluation arguments there is also an underlying criterion which is the basis for that claim and reasoning, and should also additionally be supported by other evidence and arguments.
In your teams, evaluate the following argument, related to the previous video argument you saw, and look for the following:
Claim, and the reason for that claim
Evidence to support the reason
Underlying assumption/criterion, based on what’s presented
Evidence or arguments to support the assumption/criterion.
YouTube: The Devil’s Advocrits – Why Wonder Woman Sucks
Developing Evaluation Arguments
Allyn & Bacon includes an extended example of an evaluation argument, showing all of the work that goes into the essay, starting on page 367.
The materials in most of the rest of the chapter is all related to a student essay titled “EMP: Music History or Music Trivia?” which is found on page 376.
Look through these materials, and together with your team evaluate the final result of this research, the student’s essay about EMP. Answer the following questions:
How did Jackie Wyngaard (the student) compare the EMP facility to the criteria presented?
Pick out the reasons why the EMP does or does not meet a criteria, according to Wyngaard.
Based on the materials presented, without any in-person experience with the EMP, would you agree with Wyngaard’s evaluation? Why or why not?
This assignment will take the bulk of the period.
The EMP Example
Your Evaluative Argument essay will be due on April 5th. There will be two workshop sessions prior to this due date, on March 22nd (revision) and March 29th (proofreading/editing).
You will be writing an evaluation of a particular subject. There are no requirements in terms of what you evaluate, but it has to be something you have good familiarity with. For instance, if you choose to evaluate a film, you should have watched the film at least twice to give a fair evaluation.
As a part of this assignment, you should have a clear set of criteria for your evaluation. I will be asking that you include a list of your criteria along with your drafts when you turn the assignment in.
Evaluative Argument Assignment
Essay requirements
3-5 pages, double spaced, 11-12 point font (Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri)
A Works Cited page will not be required for this essay, as your evaluation should only have a single research source (the evaluation subject). If you do further research, though, a Works Cited page will be recommended.
The evaluation should be organized so that your criteria for evaluation can be determined from the context of your writing.
Evaluative Argument Assignment