A critical response paper is one that summarizes and evaluates. So, roughly the first half of the paper will be a summary of the author’s argument, and the second half will be an evaluation of the content discussed in the first half. The paper should demonstrate a thorough understanding of the author’s argument and include carefully reasoned arguments in defense of the student’s point of view. The paper should also make as many connections as possible to course materials, including quotes from the book(s), as well as from other essays and articles when relevant. Students may use a previously written RN as a “jumping off’ point for a critical response.
For the critical response paper, the student will respond, critically (where “critically’ means “with substantive engagement’, and not necessarily “with disagreement’), to any one of the readings from UNIT 4. Students should not do any outside research. Rather, limit your research to the readings found in UNIT 4.
600 – 800 words
Double-spaced
12 point font
1 inch margins
No cover page
Saved as a Word .doc
Proper citations (Chicago/Turabian)
The paper must be argumentative within a critical response framework. Please ensure that the response is not just a summary of the argument, but an actual critical analysis.
Critical Response Papers
Criteria
Ratings
Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeQuality of WritingGrammar and style are polished = 27 – 30; Grammar and style are good = 24 – 26.5; Grammar and style are acceptable, but some problems may make reading difficult = 21 – 23.5; Grammar and style obstruct reading = 1 – 20.5
30.0 pts
