POL203: Critical Thinking in Politics

Note: use the following questions to evaluate your partner's final paper. Please e-mail me an electronic copy of your final paper as well. We will discuss the final papers in class on Friday, 12/12.

Final paper evaluations:

Argument. Is the argument clear? Can you identify the main claims? What about the subordinate claims? Can you identify the subordinate claims made in each paragraph or section? Does the author state the claims and reasons clearly? Does the author base the claims on evidence? What kind of evidence does the author use? Are warrants stated where appropriate?

Does the argument proceed in a logical manner? Is the argument persuasive? Does the author take account of counterarguments where appropriate? Do you find yourself raising objections that the author might profitably incorporate into the argument?

Does the author provide an introduction and conclusion that help to provide a context for the argument? Are the main claims clear from the introduction? (Try to state those main claims after reading only the introduction.)

Mechanics: spelling, grammar, style, page numbers, citation format, etc. Note anything that you think is in need of improvement. (In the earlier exercises, many of you were reluctant to criticize the papers under your review. Do not be reluctant. Learning how to evaluate and critique the writing of others is a critical skill here.) Some things to look out for: colloquialisms, run-on sentences and fragments, awkward formulations, bad spelling and punctuation, blown pronoun antecedents, frequent use of “this” as a pronoun (try to eliminate it), bad citation format (incomplete, inconsistent, redundant, awkward, etc.), no page numbers, incomplete bibliography.