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Mr.Q
requirements1.docxIF YOU READ NO FURTHER THAN THIS SECTION
1. We are looking for a critical analysis. Perhaps the biggest mistake you can make
is submitting a writing assignment that is largely a summary of the assigned
article.
2. Depth is preferred to breadth. The student providing a strong analysis of two
relevant points will earn much higher marks than the student identifying a number
of points without fully analyzing any of them.2
3. We define critical rather broadly. It is certainly possible to write an excellent
critical analysis in which you agree with the author of the article. Likewise, you
should not feel shy about disagreeing with an author. In either case, the strength
of your analysis will depend on your ability to thoughtfully apply ECO200 tools.
4. You must submit your assignment on both the Portal and Turnitin.com.
5. You earn bonus marks for attending the writing tutorial.
PURPOSE
To be successful in the workforce and as an economist, you need to be able to critically
evaluate economic arguments and convey your reasoning to a general audience in
writing. The assignments in this class will help you develop these skills. You will need to
demonstrate your ability to apply economic concepts and tools to different, more openended
contexts. This also helps you learn to apply and to view events through the lens of
economics.
What does it mean to be critical in Economics?
Critical examination involves the following steps.
1. Translating a written argument into a form that can be analyzed using the tools we
have learned in class.
2. Using economic tools to critically examine the argument being made. Analysis
involves doing more than merely paraphrasing the textbook, class notes or using
jargon. It involves the following:
a. identifying the appropriate model or tool for the context;
1 There is a 19-hour difference between Gazzale and Wolfson due dates. This is the only differences across
the two sections.
2 In preparing your analysis, we hope you identify a number of points you can make. We understand that it
can be difficult to leave out a point you have spent time thinking about and developing. If you find yourself
in this situation, please consider something along the following lines: “While the author’s argument
certainly does rely on assuming X, in this analysis I focus on Y and Z, and argue that . . .”
ECO200: Writing Assignment Instructions: 2014–2015 Page 2
b. checking to see if the model’s underlying assumptions required are
sufficiently satisfied; and
c. identifying important differences between the model and the real-world
context, and identifying how these differences affect qualitative and
quantitative predictions.
3. Comparing your analysis with the author’s arguments and articulating any
differences or similarities in a precise manner.
4. Translating all of this into clear language that readers can easily understand.
N.B. The Critical Analysis is NOT a research paper per se. While you may find it helpful
to consult outside resources, it is not necessary to do so, and it is entirely possible to earn
full marks without doing so. The primary metric upon which we judge your analysis is
your ability to thoughtfully apply ECO200 tools in analyzing the real-world applications.
TASK
This is an individual writing assignment. There will be two writing assignments for this
course to give you practice and opportunities to get feedback on your writing. These are
the general instructions for both assignments.
For each assignment you will be given an article to critically evaluate. You will be graded
on the quality and thoroughness of your analysis. Writing skills are essential to enable
you to communicate your ideas to others. Therefore, you will also be graded on the
clarity, flow and overall cohesiveness of the writing in your paper. The rubric we shall
use (the marks you can earn for each desirable skill demonstrated) is posted on the Portal.
How to Structure your assignment
1. The introduction (first paragraph) briefly identifies and summarizes the point(s)
you will make.
2. The next part should provide your analysis of a limited subset of the article’s
arguments. Your analysis should use economic concepts you have learned in
class. Be careful to address the appropriate audience.
a. Remember, narrow your focus so that your analysis can be more in-depth.
In-depth analysis is much more important than hitting every point made in
the article.
b. Appropriate Audience: You should assume that your reader is a University
of Toronto graduate who has read the article but has never taken ECO200.
3. Briefly draw the evaluation together in a short concluding paragraph.
NOTE: Any references you cite should be identified and listed at the end of the paper.
They do not count toward the word limit.
Getting Started
• To evaluate the article, you need to first understand the author’s arguments. Start
by identifying the assumptions inherent in the argument, checking to see if the
conclusions follow from these assumptions. Try to distinguish the argument from
the evidence provided to support the argument.
ECO200: Writing Assignment Instructions: 2014–2015 Page 3
• To do critical evaluation, essentially you should take apart the various steps in the
argument and see if they make sense separately and as a whole. Can you use the
tools learned in class to think about the argument in another way? Check to see if
the author is missing anything in her argument or has used some tool or method
incorrectly or inappropriately. Is there evidence that contradicts the author’s
argument?
• See the hand-out “Where do I start? A step-by-step guide to completing your
written assignment” by Jessie LaMontagne on Blackboard under Course
Materials/Writing Resources.
Refer to the Chicago Manual of Style for advice on how to write up your references. It is
available at: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html
Length
Your assignment should have a maximum of 750 words (excluding the title page).
Given the required format below, 750 words is approximately three pages.
Style
Because you are writing for the general reading population, you will need to explain
your arguments in a way that someone who has some understanding of basic economic
concepts, but not detailed knowledge can understand it. A good guideline: assume a
reader who has taken ECO100 a few years ago. She will understand basic ECO100
concepts, but will have certainly forgotten most of the subtleties and many of the
implications.
As 750 words is not a lot, you need to seriously limit the space you devote to
summarizing the article. You should assume that your reader has read the article, even if
she has not (yet) critically thought about it.
How to format your assignment
To earn full marks, you must do the following:
• Your assignment should be typed, double-spaced and have a font size of at least
12 points.
o We highly recommend a typeface designed to be easy to read, such as
Times New Roman. In choosing a font, ask yourself the following
question: “Does this look like the fonts I usually see in books, newspapers,
and magazines?” If the answer is no, choose a different font, or just
choose Times New Roman and stop thinking about it.
• Put the word count of your assignment in parentheses at the end. For example,
“(750 words)”
• The title page should have your full name, student id number and the class
information (i.e., ECO200, Fall 2015–Winter 2015).
• The file you submit must be either a Word (doc or docx) or PDF document.
• Files must be named FamilyName_GivenName_ECO200_1 for the first
assignment and FamilyName _ GivenName _ECO200_2 for the second
assignment, where FamilyName is your family name and GivenName is your
given name.
ECO200: Writing Assignment Instructions: 2014–2015 Page 4
LOGISTICS:
• The assignment due dates are clearly indicated in the syllabus. For your
convenience, we have reprinted them on the first page of these instructions. (If
there is a discrepancy, the syllabus wins.)
• Submit each assignment online to both the Portal (i.e., Blackboard) and
Turnitin.com.
• Instructions for submitting your assignment to Turnitin.com have been posted in
the “writing assignments” folder in the Portal (i.e., Blackboard).
• To submit your assignment on the Portal (i.e., Blackboard), follow these
instructions
o In “writing assignments” click the item titled “Writing Assignment #1
Submission” to submit assignment #1. For Writing Assignment #2, click
the item “Writing Assignment #2 Submission”.
o Follow the file naming guidelines above.
o Uploaded files should not include special characters in the file name for
example, # ! % ?. Do not attach multiple files with the same name.
o Attach your assignment file as follows:
§ Click Browse for Local File (on your computer)
§ Locate file on your personal computer. Once you see the file
listed in the Blackboard window, click the Attach File button.
§ Click Open
o Click Submit to send the assignment.
• Your assignment will be graded according to a Rubric. We have posted the Rubric
in the “writing assignments” folder in the Portal (i.e., Blackboard).
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND TURNITIN.COM
The Department of Economics takes incidents of plagiarism very seriously and
prosecutes them vigorously. Not knowing what constitutes plagiarism is not a defense.
The University policy on academic integrity can be found at:
http://www.utoronto.ca/academicintegrity/, where you will find details about what
constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it.
The University disclaimer on Turnitin.com follows:
“Normally, students will be required to submit their course essays to Turnitin.com for
a review of textual similarity and detection of possible plagiarism. In doing so,
students will allow their essays to be included as source documents in the
Turnitin.com reference database, where they will be used solely for the purpose of
detecting plagiarism. The terms that apply to the University's use of the Turnitin.com
service are described on the Turnitin.com web site.”
You are free to refuse to submit your work through Turnitin.com. However, if you decide
that you do not feel comfortable using the site, you must make arrangement with your
instructor no later than two weeks before the assignment’s due date. We will ask you to
submit all your rough work, including notes and draft versions of your assignment. You
may also be requested to meet with a TA or the instructor to discuss your paper.
ECO200: Writing Assignment Instructions: 2014–2015 Page 5
PENALTIES
• You will receive a 10 percentage point penalty for submitting an assignment after
the deadline, and an additional 10 percentage point penalty assessed every 24
hours. For example:
o An assignment submitted at 5:00:13 PM (thirteen seconds after 5:00 PM)
on the due date will receive a 10 percentage point penalty.
o An assignment submitted 25 hours late will receive a 20 percentage point
penalty.
• No extensions will be granted under any circumstance (e.g., illness, computer
problems, etc.).
WRITING TUTORIALS: EARN BONUS MARKS
Prior to each assignment’s submission date, there will be a writing tutorial. (Times and
locations for each section will be announced in lecture and on the Portal.) In this tutorial,
you will participate in exercises structured to give you practice in critical analysis. We
truly believe that benefits of attending outweigh the (opportunity) cost. We are fully
aware, however, this it difficult to conduct a cost-benefit analysis when the benefit is
uncertain (i.e., from your perspective prior to attending the tutorial).3 To address this
information asymmetry, you will earn bonus marks (equal to 2% of the total marks
available on the corresponding writing assignment) for attending a writing tutorial and
submitting the (ungraded) assignment provided in that tutorial. Note that you must attend
the writing tutorial for your section (e.g., Gazzale students must attend the Gazzale
tutorial) and you can only earn bonus marks once for each writing assignment. (Prior to
each writing assignment, Gazzale will have 1 writing tutorial and Wolfson will have 2.
Wolfson students do not earn a double bonus by attending both, but all students can earn
the bonus for both writing assignments.)
WRITING TIPS
Some essential writing tips4:
• Use simple, clear language. Avoid metaphors, flowery speech5 or jargon.
• Do not use the passive voice (The box was held by John) when the active voice is
an option (John held the box).
• Keep your sentences short.
• Make sure your paragraphs are self-contained and coherent: put only one main
idea in each paragraph. Avoid too long (more than 1/3 of a page) or too short
(one or two sentences only) paragraphs.
• Make your main point early on, and make sure that everything you write serves to
support your main point (even your counter-arguments serve to support your main
point).
• Support each argument with evidence, such as a statistic, example or economic
reasoning.
3 In addition, there is substantial evidence that many animals, humans included, overweight current costs
(attending the writing tutorial “today”) relative to future benefits.
4 From Jessie LaMontagne and Andrea Williams.
5 For example: “Since the dawn of time, economists have contemplated . . .”
ECO200: Writing Assignment Instructions: 2014–2015 Page 6
• Make clear the economic concepts and reasoning on which your argument is
based.
• Be respectful of arguments that differ from yours: you can be critical without
dismissing the work of others.
• Consider your audience. Use everyday words, define more technical terms, and
avoid jargon.
Another resource is The Economist Style Guide, available at
http://www.economist.com/styleguide/introduction.
GETTING ASSISTANCE
Here are some great resources (in addition to office hours) for getting assistance on the
writing assignments.
• The Department of Economics has established a virtual writing centre. This is an
excellent resource for getting feedback on initial drafts of your paper. You email a
draft of your assignment to [email protected] up to 5 days before the due date,
and an experienced writing TA will provides feedback on main areas of
improvement.
• Each college has a writing centre. You can book an appointment at
http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/writing-centres/arts-and-science. The teaching
approach of these centres is described at http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/writingcentres/
learning.
• More than 60 Advice files on all aspects of academic writing are available from
www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice.
o Note in particular "How Not to Plagiarize" and other advice on
documentation format and methods of integrating sources; these are listed
in the section at www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/using-sources.
• For those students whose first language in not English, the English Language
