Cheryl Hoy

GSW 1120

Essay # 1: Critique Assignment

Task/Objective:
This essay is important because it allows you to critically read and analyze a text with the purpose of providing
yourself and your reader with an understanding of the article being critiqued, its intended meaning, and its
merits and faults. Passing critique essays make a fair evaluation, represent the article accurately, summarize the
article efficiently, evaluate the article thoroughly and sensibly, use clear standards (criteria) for evaluation,
include all the elements of an evaluative essay, and read clearly, logically, smoothly, and coherently.
Preparation: Read Chapter 1 Summary, Paraphrase, and Quotation and Chapter 2 Critical Reading and
Critique in WARAC.
Issue Choices:
For your first essay, you will be systematically evaluating an academic article. You may select one of the
following articles from WARAC:

No Long Term: New Work and the Corrosion of Character

I Feel So Damn Lucky
Work and Workers in the Twenty-First Century

Structure or Organization:
Elements required in your critique include an introduction, thesis statement, brief summary, criteria-based
analysis/evaluation, counterargument, response, and conclusion.

The introduction identifies the author, article title, date of publication, the original publication medium
(magazine, journal, etc), the author's thesis, purpose, intended audience, and your thesis statement.
The thesis statement states your position and the three or four merits and/or faults you discuss in the rest
of the essay.
The summary contains only the essential information needed to relay to the reader the author's thesis and
the article's main points and sub-points.
The analysis/evaluation states the criteria used to evaluate the article and uses specific examples to
support your interpretation of its merits and faults.
The response states your position and your approval/disapproval of the argument or of any of the
argumentative points.
The conclusion restates your position concerning the validity and effectiveness of the author's argument
and of the article. You can recap the article's merits or faults in an effort to provide evidence for your
position, and you can state the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the author's ability to reach his or her
target audience based on your evaluation.

Synthesis:
Synthesis is the result of you using specific evidence from the article to support each point made in your
evaluation, including the counter argument point. You should use cited source material direct quotes,
paraphrases, and/or examplesto support each paragraphs point. Also, strive to use two or more pieces of
evidence for each point.

Metadiscourse:
Metadiscourse is the glue that holds your essay together and that makes your argument coherent.
Metadiscourse results when you use explanatory words and sentences and when you use transitional words and
phrases to connect your argument/essay together. Show the direction of your argument and show how each
sentence and paragraph connects to the previous one by using transitions. Also, explain how your cited source
material illustrates the criteria and supports your evaluation for each paragraph.

All Due Dates for each step of the Critique essay, including the proposals, rough drafts, and final drafts will be
confirmed and announced in class. Tentative due dates are listed on the syllabus. No late assignments or drafts
will be accepted and/or evaluated. Pre-plan your time for each step of this assignment.
Rough Draft Due: 1/16
Final Draft Due: 1/28

Steps in this assignment:

1. Select and read article.
2. Select criteria and evaluative words
3. Complete initial proposalsave and print a copy
4. Working with your initial proposal, add in appropriate quotes and paraphrases from the article (be sure
to include citations) and rename this proposal source material proposalsave and print a copy
5. Begin drafting.
6. Submit a complete one Rough Draft to the instructor and one for peer review.
7. Complete all required peer reviewssave and print copies of peer reviews done for your draft
8. Revise rough draft based on instructor and peer commentaries.
9. Submit final draft with a rubric to instructorsave and print a copy of your final draft
No handwritten, sloppily-presented, incomplete or late work will be accepted. This essay is not revisable.
Final drafts receive final evaluations, so I encourage you to see me and/or a BGSU Writing Center tutor, as you
need assistance with your essay.

Length and Documentation:

The essay should be NO LESS THAN 3 pages, typed, double-spaced using MLA page format. The works
cited page is not part of these 4 pages; it is page 5. You must document (MLA style) your source parenthetically
within the essay and on a work-cited page. Follow the MLA documentation for articlessee the handbook.

Format:
Use one-inch margins on all sides of the pages, a running header, double line spacing, standard Times New
Roman 12-pt. font, and correct MLA page formatting. See your handbook for an example of a MLA essay.

Good Luck! Start early! Revise often!