Critical Reading and Critique

1. A Sequence for Academic Writing Chapter 2 Critical Reading and Critique

2. Reading Response Questions • In a critique you are responsible for answering two questions. What are the two questions that should focus your response? • When critiquing informational writing, what criteria do you use to judge the success of the text? • When critiquing persuasive writing, what criteria do you use to judge the success of the text? • The book contains a format for a critique. Explain this format.

3. Critique Requires Critical Reading • Requires the abilities to both summarize and evaluate a presentation and a willingness to become involved in order to answer these evaluative questions: • What is the author’s purpose in writing? • Does he/she succeed in this purpose? • To what extent do you agree or disagree with the author?

4. Question Category 1: What is the Author’s Purpose in writing? Does he/she succeed in this purpose? • All critical reading begins with summary. Summary will help you clearly understand the reading and help you identify the author’s purpose: inform, persuade, or entertain? • Identifying the purpose (inform, persuade, entertain) will help you evaluative the efficacy of her/his presentation.

5. Evaluating—Writing to Inform • Informational texts provide definitions, describe or report on historical background. • Evaluating informative writing requires you to assess the: • Accuracy of Information • Significance of Information • Fair Interpretation of Information

6. Evaluating—Writing to persuade • Evaluating persuasive writing requires you to assess the following: • Clearly defined terms: the audience and author should agree on the definitions of terms which frame the argument (eg. "family values") • Fair use of Information • Logical Argumentation

7. Logical Argumentation: Avoiding Logical Fallacies You will need to evaluate the logic of the argument. Logical arguments should be governed by the principles of logic. This means that you will need to identify and expose instances of false logic. Instances of false logic will impact the credibility and validity of sources.

8. Logical Fallacies: “Emotionally Loaded Terms” • Emotionally Loaded Terms: Using Emotionally charged words, words with positive or negative connotations, to sway the reader. • Family values • Abuse

9. Logical Fallacies: “Ad Hominem Argument” • Ad Hominem Argument: The writer objects opposing views by attacking the person who holds them. • Name-calling

10. Logical Fallacies: “Faulty Cause and Effect” • Faulty Cause and Effect: The fact the one event precedes another in time does not mean that the first event caused the second event. • Fish die in a lake—the cause is likely attributed to multiple factors.

11. Logical Fallacies: “Either/Or Reasoning” • Either/Or Reasoning: An unwillingness to recognize the complexity of an issue (this or that). • Restricting the range of possible solutions by offering only one or two courses of action, then rejecting one of these possibilities.

12. Logical Fallacies: “Hasty Generalization” • Hasty Generalization: Conclusions drawn from too little evidence or underrepresented evidence. • To argue that scientists ought to abandon the human genome project because a recent editorial argued against it is an example of hasty generalization.

13. Logical Fallacies: “False Analogy” • False Analogy: Comparisons made without any parallel. • Quarantine people with AIDS because quarantine has been effective in stopping the spread of small pox. • The comparison between the two is not valid because of the differences in ways the diseases are spread.

14. Logical Fallacies: “Non Sequiter” • Non Sequiter: Latin for “it does not follow.” A conclusion that does not logically follow from a premise. • Since minorities have made such great stride, we no longer need affirmative action programs. • The premise is arguable and because strides have been made does not mean that AA programs are not necessary.

15. Logical Fallacies: “Oversimplification” • Oversimplification: Be alert for writers who offer easy solutions to complicated problems. • Buy American! • Economic problems are complex, and the economic problems cannot be solved with a slogan or simple solution.

16. Writing to Entertain • Authors write not only to inform and persuade but also to entertain. • A book, play, or poem. • Evaluating Writing to Entertain • Questions to ask: • Did you care for the portrayal of a character? • Did that character seem to sentimentalized, for example, or heroic? • Where the situations believable?

17. Question Category 2: • To what extent do you agree or disagree with the author? • Identify Points of Agreement or Disagreement • Explore the Reasons for Agreement and Disagreement

18. Critique • A critique is a formalized, critical reading of a passage • A systematic evaluation in order to deepen your reader’s understanding.

19. How to Write Critiques • Introduction • Introduce the passage, the author, and the main point (s). • Provide background material • Summary • Summarize the author’s main points • The author’s purpose in writing

20. Analysis of the presentation • Is the information accurate? • Is the information significant? • Has the author defined terms clearly? • Has the author used and interpreted information fairly? • Has the author argued logically?

21. Your response to the presentation • Which views do you agree or disagree? Why? • Conclusion • The overall conclusions of the validity of the piece.