Reading 4 essays [every essay has about 10 pages ], then follow the requirement to write a 3-4 pages essay. The requirement is in the additional materials.
The purpose of the Short Paper assignment is to help students learn to critically evaluate and present social policy readings. The short paper should be a maximum of 4 double spaced pages, and is due on the day we cover that topic in class. The short paper should include two sections: Summary. This includes at the introductory level being able to succinctly summarize the important ideas and at a more advanced level to assess the merits and logic of those ideas. This is a difficult skill, but a very useful and important one, that we hope you will hone over the course of the semester. Step back and think about what are the key ideas that emerge from the reading[s]. If there is more than one assigned reading, or more than one chapters, think about and describe what you learned from all of them collectively first [in a paragraph], and then highlight the unique contributions of each one, respectively. Focus on the big picture – not each and every detail. Limit the entire summary to no more than 2 – 2 ½ pages. Critique. Think critically about the ideas in the reading[s] as opposed to how you feel about what the authors say, the style or structure of their writing, and whether it is “interesting.” Is the thinking in the reading[s] logical and reasonable? Why or why not? What are the strengths of the arguments? Where do you see flaws, weaknesses or aspects that are not convincing? What would be a better way to think about the issue or topic? What is lacking or overlooked? What are your own innovative and wellreasoned ideas about the issue or topic at hand? If there is more than one reading, either evaluate the readings as a whole or critique each one individually. Not every reading should be expected to cover everything…. that’s the reason why multiple readings are assigned to address various facets of a given topic. If you chose to critique the reading as a whole, compare and contrast the authors’ ideas… how are they similar or different? You do not have to answer all of the questions in this paragraph. These are designed to help you think about how to constructively and thoughtfully interact with the ideas the author[s] present. Focus in on 1 or at most 2 ideas. This part of the paper should not exceed 1 ½ – 2 pages.
