Question Description
Dear students,
The assignment drop box for the critical review or rhetorical precis assignment 1 is now open. Please read the instructions and the attached Assignment Information sheet carefully. Remember: Choose between either a critical review or a rhetorical precis. Submit your answer in a Word Doc using New Times Roman font 12 please. Include in-text references and a reference list at the end of your review/precis. The reference list should not be counted in the number of words for this assignment. Thank you
Rhetorical Precis / Critical Review of academic Literature
No. of words: 1000 (excluding Reference List)
Due Date: October 10
General Information
A Critical review, just as a rhetorical precis, requires that you continuously apply critical reading skills to the article you have been ascribed. This means you have to break the article in parts for critical analysis because you are not satisfied with merely knowing what the article is about or what the author is saying about a topic. A critical review requires a combination of critical reading skills and methodical and logical writing skills that neatly translate your critical analysis of the article in a coherent story piece.
Critical reading skills require that you stop and reflect on the meaning of the text, its implications, and the different perspectives or questions it gives rise to, in view of the context of your course, study, topic.
Concretely, critical reading requires that you
- Reflect on what you have read- what does it really mean? Why is it presented in that particular way? Is the rationale or logic of the argument presented in the most effective way to build up to the problem, gap, question or thesis?
- Are able to describe with confidence what you have understood with your own examples
- Are able to compare and contrast what you have understood with other perspectives, approaches written related to the subject
- Are able to interpret the text based on a thorough analysis of the text at different parts and as a whole
- Are able to recognize your own feelings to the text you are reading and to be rational about it – in other words acknowledge your prior knowledge of the subject, bias about it and compare these to what you are reading so you can objectively absorb new ideas or perspectives
- Are able to apply critical thinking to what you are reading- i.e., apply judgement and discipline to make sense of what you are reading and learning without prejudice or bias
Additionally, in rhetorical precis, further to points 4a to 4f above, you are also required to write about why the author is writing in the way/format/approach they do. Questions you may consider for the rhetorical precis, can thus include in sequential order:
- Do the authors approach, style, construction and rhetorical strategies impact upon the quality and strength of their arguments and position?
- Who is the audience for the article? What is their purpose and why does the author write to their attention?
- What types of rhetorical strategies does the author use to appeal to their audience? (logic- logos? Ethics- ethos? Or emotions- pathos? Note that in academic journals, logos (logical appeals) is the rhetorical strategy that is used.
- What is the grammatical style used? What is the type of language (formal, informal) used? – Here your goal is to depict any change or transition in rhetorical style that could impact the overall quality and effectiveness of the article.
- How can you label the different sections or rhetorical transitions that you will discuss and that will effectively identify the argument you are making?
- What type of evaluations can you make about the authors strategies? What examples can you use to support your positions and evaluations of the authors strategies?
Instructions:
- Choose one article that really resonates with you from the list of articles provided in the e-readings and which cover a wide range of topics related to tourism planning and policy.
- Read the article carefully and critically by asking questions that by now you naturally apply to articles and chapters – Refer to instructions on how to read articles and questions to ask yourself when reading articles and chapters in the previous weeks (for example, see announcement for week 4).
- Actively take notes of your understanding and critical analysis of the different sections or main points you are reading. Also take notes of your reflections about your critical position; why you are thinking that way? Why is your approach appropriate and relevant here? How is your approach going to be beneficial to knowledge expansion in that area? Etc.
- Use both theoretical and empirical knowledge you have acquired till now in this course and from other courses to apply them to what you are reading
- Begin outlining your critical review essay OR rhetorical precis using the notes you have written during your critical reading to logically arrange your points so that at the end you have a nice story to tell in your review
You may consider the instructions in the document How to write an essay”
when writing a critical review or precis methodically and logically.
In summary you should include in your review/precis:
- Introduction – this is where you will give an idea of your thesis/position on the critical review/rhetorical precis of the article you have been assigned – What would be your main point or idea of the article that you will provide direction to the reader of your review?
- Body of the review that may consists of a few paragraphs
Consider labeling each paragraph to reflect the most important point it will contain.
Use dialectics to write your paragraph to show there is not only logic in your argumentation but that you have also considered different critical perspectives when constructing the arguments. Your goal is to show logical transition between your points in a paragraph and across paragraphs. The critical analysis in each of the paragraph should come out logically, clearly, and when put all together read as coherent.
Consider using examples and other illustrations to support your point
- Proofread your answer for logical argument, correct grammar and vocabulary, flow, coherence and cohesion
Thank you.
Regards,
