Essay

2

Essay #1 (Writing a critical review)

· 3-4 double-spaced typed pages in length, not including your Works Cited page

· Cite all sources properly using MLA Style for in-text citation and Works Cited page.

Write a paper in which you analyze and evaluate Nathan’s “As Others See Us”—“Getting to Know American Students” (67-71), “Relationships and Friendships” (72-77) and/or “Worldliness and Worldview” (84-89). Assume that your audience is unfamiliar with the course text you are writing about; therefore, you will need to provide a good amount of summary in order to explain your analysis and position. For instance, you should explain who the author is and why she is considered an expert on her chosen topic. You may also need to talk about the author’s sub-arguments, use of evidence, and conclusions.

To identify an argument of your own in relation to the course text, you will need to analyze the article for its strengths, its weaknesses, and the value of the author’s implications or conclusions. The following are templates for your evaluation in relation to the course text:

· Nathan’s argument focuses on an important topic, especially for _______(group of people/field of study)__________ because ________________.

· Nathan’s argument is strong because ________________________________________.

· Nathan makes a strong argument that _____________, but the argument would have been more ____________ if she had also considered _________________________________.

· Nathan may be correct in their argument that __________________, and yet I am concerned about the implications of this argument for the following reasons: _____, _____, and _____.

· I find Nathan’s argument of limited value because she did not consider ______________, which would have made her argument more complex and _________________________.

· I agree with Nathan up to a point, but I cannot agree with her conclusion that____________.

These suggestions are only a few of many possible arguments you could construct; please do not limit yourself only to these suggestions. That said, I would generally suggest that you avoid an argument that positions you as simply agreeing or disagreeing with the argument of your chosen text. First, agree/disagree arguments are generally uninteresting to read, and they will not adequately demonstrate your analytical skills. Second, disagreement is particularly challenging in this case because the article has gone through a scholarly peer review process, which means that the author’s academic peers have found their arguments credible and scholarly in nature. As you are not an expert in the field, it is unwise to disagree in full with peer-reviewed scholarship for this assignment. You may, however, agree or disagree with one part of the author’s argument, you may choose to debate the author’s conclusions, and you may be able to identify important issues that the author left out or disregarded.

No research is required for this paper; use the evidence in Stahl’s articles or your personal experience to support your argument. You must cite your chosen course reading(s) properly, both in-text and on your Works Cited page. We will discuss how to do this in class. Failure to cite someone else’s ideas is plagiarism.

Below are some guidelines to help you write a critical review.

Introduction

· Begin the introduction identifying the author, the title, the main topic or issues, and the

purpose of the essay you have read in class.

· In the introduction, you may want to provide an overview. An overview may include

background information about the topic, evidence used, or the target audience.

· In relation to the author’s argument and support, establish your position as the reviewer (your thesis about the author’s thesis)

Body

Organize the body of your review according to a logical plan. Here are two options.

· First, summarize, in a series of paragraphs, those major points from the reading that you plan

to discuss. Second, discuss and evaluate theses points in a following group of paragraphs.

· Alternatively, you can summarize and evaluate the major points of the reading in a point-by-point schema. That means you will discuss and evaluate point one within the same paragraph (or in several if the point is significant and warrants extended discussion) before you

summarize and evaluate point two, point three, etc, moving in a logical sequence from point

to point to point.

Below are a couple of things you keep in mind as you write.

· What are the author’s most important points? How do these relate to one another?

· What types of evidence or information does the author present to support his or her points?

· Where does the author do a good job of carrying the evidence?

· Which parts of the work (particular arguments, descriptions, etc.) are most effective and

which parts are least effective? Why?

Conclusion

Use the conclusion to state your overall critical evaluation by determining such things as whether or not the author achieves the stated or implied purpose and if the work makes a significant contribution to an existing body of knowledge. Consider following questions.

· How well does the work maintain its stated or implied focus?

· Does the author include/exclude relevant information?

· How well has the author achieved the overall purpose of the article? What contribution does

the work make to an existing body of knowledge or to a specific group of readers?

· What is the most important final comment you wish to make about the essay? Do you have

any suggestions for the direction of future research in the area?

(Adapted from UW-Madison Writing Center Writer’s handbook)

The due dates are as follows.

1. Draft 1 Due: Tuesday, February 5

(Upload Draft 1 to Canvas & bring two copies.)

2. Draft 2 Due: Thursday, February 7

(Bring the packet including (1) the revised draft, (2) the peer critique sheet, and (3) the draft that your peers have commented on.)

3. Individual conference: Tuesday, February 12

4. Final Draft Due: Thursday, April 25 (Upload the final draft to Canvas.)

English 812 Analytical Reading & Writing

English 812 Analytical Reading & Writing