Question description
REACTION PAPER
(
Read all of this very carefully before you begin
your paper!
)
:
Students will also be required to write
a short
reaction paper
(typically 5
pages
) critically evaluating one of the
“Contemporary Debates”
(CD) modules
assigned for a given
class (NOTE: Each
module
is a “debate” consisting of TWO articles; thus, your paper must critically evaluate BOTH sides of the
debate,
i.e.
, BOTH articles).
These CD modules appear on D2L Brightspace and correspond to particular topics indicated in the
Schedule of Readings at the
end of this syllabus.
Each paper should provide a critical evaluation of the authors’ thesis, main arguments and evidence. You should approach the
arguments and evidence presented in these
modules
very skeptically and you should be willing to challenge
any arguments,
evidence, or assumptions that you believe are flawed, inadequate, or not relevant. On the other hand, I expect students to
maintain a dignified, moderate, and scholarly tone in their writing, even when criticizing or challenging the ideas of
the author
–
do NOT approach this assignment as an invitation to engage in partisan diatribes or personal attacks on political figures,
parties, interest groups
,
or celebrities. I expect students to make a genuine effort to try and understand the point of
view of
authors with whom they disagree. You will not be able to effectively critique an idea until you are able to understand why
someone else would agree with that idea. An important part of this exercise is to encourage you to, as the saying goes, “wal
k a
mile in someone else’s shoes.”
There is no single format, template, or approach that is preferred
–
you have a great deal of discretion in how you approach
your critical analysis and argument. However, to give you an idea of what has worked in the pa
st for many students, I would
suggest you consider one of the following general approaches to developing a
thesis
(
i.e
., main argument)
:
(1)
You may decide that one article was clearly more persuasive than the other, so your thesis (typically articulated in t
he
introductory paragraph) will briefly indicate which article was more convincing and why;
(2)
You may decide that both articles contained central truths that should not be ignored, such that a combination or
synthesis of the two theories or views is the bes
t way to think about the issue or problem the authors have analyzed;
or
(3)
You may conclude that neither article has correctly or adequately addressed the problem they describe, in which case
you should explain how they fall short and describe what you belie
ve is a better way to approach the topic described
in the chapter.
Remember that you are every bit as smart and capable as the people who wrote these articles and it is very likely that you wi
ll
find many flawed approaches, obvious oversights, or mistaken assumptions in these articles. Please assert your own voice and
be
confident, though not arrogant, in expressing your original ideas. Writing in the
first person
and
active voice
are encouraged
for your writing in this course.
General guidelines for your reaction papers:
Papers must be typed, double
–
spaced, in 12
–
point Times New Roman font with
the default margins (1” on top and bottom; 1.25” on left and right). Your paper must have a
title
that provides the reader with
a clear indication of your thesis
i.e.
, what
argument will you be making in the paper
? (in
other words,
titles like
“Reaction
Paper #1”
or “Abortion” are
not
acceptable title
s
). An “A” paper will be well
–
written and well
–
or
ganized, will have a clear,
thought
–
provoking thesis (
i.e.
, argument, main point), will support that thesis through a critical evaluation and synthesis of the
readings, and will have a clear conclusion that summarizes the main arguments in support of the t
hesis, and perhaps even
raises an important question for future consideration.