Critiques

1. Critiques Complete two critiques Literature Reviews

2. Critiques Objective: To demonstrate your ability to critique a text (in this case, a literature review) and articulate your critique to the text’s author.

3. Aim for 400-500 words After you have read the draft provided, please respond to each of the following prompts as specifically as possible, using detailed examples and selected passages from the draft you have read to illustrate your points and validate claims about that draft. The minimum length of the critique (excluding questions should you choose a Q&A format) is 300-500 words. You will critique TWO literature reviews.

4. Question 1: First Paragraph . What is the author’s thesis statement, which helps to guide the reader for the purpose of the literature review? Is the purpose of the review clear from reading the first paragraph? In other words, can you tell if the review shows what research has been done on a given topic? Or has the author chosen to compose the literature review to explain to readers why certain ideas or theories concerning a topic are being challenged or re-examined by researchers? If the author does not give a clear purpose, what does the purpose seem to be?

5. Support Claims! Provide the thesis statement Provide the sentence with the literature review’s purpose *Remember that the assignment directions ask for specific examples to support claims about the paper.

6. Question 2: Second Paragraph 2. How has the author chosen to organize the research that he or she is reviewing? How well does this structure work? Does the author synthesize the research, showing how various researchers fit together, rather than just summarizing sources? Is there another way to organize the information?

7. Considerations for Organization Are the groups of research outlined in the introduction? Are groups of research labeled? Does the sequence of sections work with the author’s purpose for the literature review?

8. Question 3: Paragraph 3 3. Examine the use of the source material. Discuss whether the sources are relevant and reliable, as well as whether they are used appropriately and effectively integrated. Explain to the writer how selecting or integrating sources in a different way might improve the review, providing examples of revised versions of introducing, integrating, and commenting on source materials.

9. Considerations for Source Evaluation Does the author introduce authors and provide credentials? Do the quotes or paraphrases illustrate the author’s/authors’ opinions? Do they seem relevant? Is the citation accurate? Is the author citing paraphrases as well as direct quotes?

10. Success on Critiques Be specific. Provide examples from the text to support your claims and answer every question in the prompt. Aim for between 400-500 words. Organize your response into paragraphs. These two critiques are worth more than a brief assignment. Use this as an opportunity to bolster your grade!

11. Professionalism Be professional. Act like this person is a friend/colleague who needs advice. Do not disparage or insult the work of your peers. Instead, use this as practice for polite and professional feedback. Remember that a good critique points out areas where the author succeeded as well the areas that need more development.

12. Where are the Critiques? The critiques will be available online through RaiderWriter. You will need to “click to submit this assignment” for the critiques to appear.

13. Grading Rubric C1—Issue Identification and Focus: Does the student address all of the questions in the assignment? While some students may occasionally go beyond the prompts and provide additional information, some will ignore the questions altogether. C3—Sources and Evidence: Has the student provided specific examples from the critiqued paper? In other words, does the student directly refer to specific parts of the text (paragraphs and/or sentences)?  This criterion is particularly important because students tend to use vague and generic language that could apply to any draft. C5—Own Perspective: Does the student offer pertinent suggestions to the writer?  Does the student show authority in relaying his or her perspective about the effectiveness of the text? Students tend to shy away from making a direct critique of a document, or they default to praising the document in some generic way. C6—Conclusion: Does the student provide an accurate evaluative statement about the draft's overall effectiveness?  Does the student discuss the significance of the problems he or she identifies in the draft (i.e., how important each of these problems are)? C7—Communication: Does the student communicate his or her critique effectively?  Is the student's tone professional?  Has the student organized his or her critique effectively?  Is the critique relatively free of grammatical errors?

14. Drop Date October 31: Last day for student-initiated drop on MyTech with penalty (counts against drop limit). All drops are the responsibility of the student. No Class next week! This means that in addition to your current grades, only the 1.1 and the critiques (perhaps BA 5) will be graded by the time the drop date arrives.

15. Homework- Due October 18 St. Martin's Handbook Part 3, Section 13, "Integrating Sources into Your Writing" (pp. 276-286); First-Year Writing Ch. 10 p. 253-277 Assess your 1.1 and come up with a revision plan. Details on website. THIS WEEK’S READING IS CRITICAL FOR SUCCESS IN BA 5. Bring your current 1.1 draft to class. Highlight four or five places in the document where source integration needs to improve. These can be sentences or groups of sentences, but not entire paragraphs. Participation 6 Due: A revision plan for the 1.2. Details will be posted on the website.