Critical Reading Assignments: What to Turn In
Follow the outline below exactly, clearly numbering each stage as you go. I am not asking for a polished essay. I do want complete sentences.
Steps marked with ** are crucial, and should be done with extra care.
- Before You Read: Survey
**1. Describe the author(s), in one or two sentences.** 2. Look over the title, Table of Contents, abstract, headings and subheadings, and other features of the
piece. If the assignment is to read the whole piece, write down a general outline of the piece by listing the main headings, one heading per line. If you are reading with a particular question in mind, locate the section(s) most likely to contain relevant material and write down just these headings or subheadings. (If there are no headings, leave this part blank.)
- State the time period and region of the world to which the piece refers. (If you can’t determine this yet, fill it in after you read.)
- Briefly describe what sort of a piece it is, and how you determined this. (If you can’t determine this yet, fill it in after you read.)
- State the strategy you choose for reading.
- As You Read: Question, Read, and Recite
Based on your work following sections II.1, II.2, and II.3 of the Guidelines, turn in a thoroughly marked-up hard copy of the piece, or a set of thorough notes, or some combination of the two. Your annotations and/or notes should include identification of the most important information in each section you read (relative to the questions asked, if for research), as well as brief definitions of new words, questions, and comments. Your notes may be either typed or handwritten.
III. After You Read
**1. Write a one-paragraph summary of the piece (following section III.1 of the Guidelines).** The paragraph should be long enough to describe the major points and the types of evidence and argument used in the piece (or the selected sections you read for research purposes), but should also be concise. About 50-75 words may suffice for a short or simple piece, while a more complex piece may require a 150-word summary. Do not exceed 200 words.
- Write a one-paragraph personal reaction to the piece (following section III.2 of the Guidelines). If, thinking critically about your own reactions, you noticed any cognitive biases (as described in section II.4 in the Guidelines), note them here.
- Critically analyze and evaluate the piece. Reflect on your notes concerning the author, source, and type of the piece (as instructed in sections I.4 and I.6 of the Guidelines), and the possible biases suggested by these. Identify the types of evidence and argumentation techniques used by the author, and evaluate the quality of these (as instructed in section 1II.3 of the Guidelines). Think beyond the piece, to how other relevant arguments and evidence might apply. Use specific, brief examples from the reading as necessary, so that it is clear that you are discussing this particular piece, and not just making vague, generic claims. This is tough, high-level intellectual work! Your analysis and evaluation
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may range from nothing at all (if you are still mastering the basics of careful reading), to a paragraph, to a full page.
And let’s add a Step IV: Document, Edit and Proofread!
- Provide a formal citation for the piece, as you would put it in a formal reference list. I recommend using the “APA” format, described in many writing manuals and on-line guides including https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/05/. Because the gender of authors is sometimes important information, however, I suggest including their first names, not just their initials. I am more interested in you including complete information than in details of order or punctuation. Keep in mind that the main purpose of a formal citation is to make sure that someone who wants to find the original piece will be able to do so easily, without problems or ambiguity.
- Go back over what you have written, making sure that it is written in your best university-level English and is complete.
