General Objectives that Should be met in a Review Paper.

1. Identify and outline the underlying thesis of the paper in question. This should be done in the first paragraph of your review paper.

2. Provide a brief summary of the various sections of the paper under review; i.e., how is the paper organized and what are the major arguments, if any, of each section. This should be accomplished in the second or third paragraphs of your paper.

3. Discuss the various arguments and evidence provided by the author (s) to support their major thesis or theses. In doing so, try to adhere to the following format:

a. Do you find that the author makes a compelling case for his or her position? In either case, briefly state your reasons.

b. In your estimation, are the arguments presented in a cogent manner? That is, do they address effectively the intended issues and/or problems presented in the body of the paper? Are the sections of the paper connected in a logically consistent and coherent fashion? Aside from the logical consistency of the paper, is the author's writing style persuasive? Briefly explain why or why not.

c. If any empirical evidence is provided in the paper, is it organized in a way that strengthens the underlying arguments presented by the author or does it confuse the issue? Are the sources used by the author of a primary or secondary nature? Is the empirical evidence presented in the paper of a statistical and/or institutional/historic nature?

4. Provide a concise assessment and evaluation of the assigned reading; i.e., I want you to articulate carefully the reasons why you think the paper is good, useful, or simply bad. This is an important aspect of your critical review paper and I will be paying close attention to your arguments and reasoning.

5. To strengthen the arguments and discussion presented in your critical essay, it is recommended that you integrate material from other sources such as books, edited works, periodicals, classes you have taken, and last but not least, your own personal experience. (When using personal anecdotes, be highly selective and careful in how you incorporate them in your essay. Otherwise, they can unnecessarily lengthen your essay, and more important, weaken your arguments given their arbitrary and personal nature.) In addition, any outside references should be cited in full at the end of your paper.

6. Your critical review paper should be at least three pages and at most six pages (excluding any outside references). For ease of grading, the paper should be typed on white paper with standard one inch margins and double-spacing.