Hannah-Hansen W131

Comparative Synthesis Due ___12/20__20 pts (see WRAC 48-50)

Rough Draft due: ___1/10___ 25 points

Final Draft due:__1/16_____100 points

COMPARATIVE CRITIQUE

Paper assignment: Write a 4-5 page (12 pt. font) paper comparatively analyzing any two of the following articles we have studied on the mall.

The paper will identify important common position(s) addressed by both writers as well as significant differences. The comparison should be a synthesis of the two sources that proceeds point-by-point rather than source-by-source (WRAC 80 [bottom example – organizing by criteria]). The analysis establishes the relationship between the two writers on the issue, but the comparison must go beyond merely pointing out similarities or differences. The writer has to express why the similarities and differences are significant and how these similarities and differences shape a certain understanding of the issues at stake. The comparative critique must analyze the source texts in terms of the writers’ arguments, evidence, logic, reasons, underlying assumptions, and how each author establishes his/her position on the issue -Think Critique! Importantly, the paper considers what is at stake for these authors to raise the issue. As an option, you may draw on other sources from the readings in this unit for support in your analysis. However, any use of another source must be only to further your analysis.

Grading Criteria

Total: 100 points

Introduction: /10

Did you introduce the subject and explain why it is relevant? Did your introduction provide necessary background information or context? Have you included a short summary (2-3 sentences) of each of the articles that you are writing about? Does the introduction funnel down to a thesis?

Thesis: /10

Does your thesis reflect an analytical statement about what’s at stake in looking at your two source texts comparatively? Does it provide work for the paper to do, setting out an idea or question worth pursuing? That is, does your thesis require that a paper be written? Is it critical?

Paragraph Development: /10

Does each paragraph have a strong topic sentence that sets out a critical claim to be proven in the paragraph? Does the paragraph stick to and develop this idea and avoid tangents?

Are the paragraphs organized effectively with transitions in between?

Analysis/Critical Reading: /40

Do you provide specific evidence from each article and link the evidence to your claim, giving reasons to explain how the evidence confirms or qualifies the claim? Do you comment on why the similarities and differences that you note are significant and/or what these relationships might mean? Do you compare and contrast the authors’ in a point-by-point analysis? Do you utilize the language of critique (WRAC 24-43)?

Conclusion: /15

Does it grow from your analysis? Is it tacked on? Trite? Do you set out a larger significance or implications of what you discovered in your analysis of the two authors’ writings or are you simply restating the introduction (which is not cool).

Readability: /10

Do sentence structure, word choice, style, spelling, punctuation, quotation, and citation, contribute to or interfere with communication of your ideas? Are you using attributive tags to distinguish the authors’ ideas from your own? Have you used transitions both within and between paragraphs to provide clear organization and logic in your comparative critique?

Format: /5 correct use of MLA in-text citation and Works Cited Page