Critical Analysis Assignment Sheet
English 1302
The next essay for this class will be the critical analysis paper. As the
subject of your essay, you must choose a source that is related to your research
topic, but the source should take a position that is against the one that you hold.
Choose a new article and not one you have already used. The article must come
from an HCC database source.
Be sure to choose an article that will lend itself to this assignment. You
should find an article in which the writer takes a stand or expresses an opinion
that is on the opposite side of where you stand. Do not choose a news report
or a news article in which the reporter does not express an opinion.
Critical analysis involves two processes: 1) analysis (breaking down a text
into its component parts to determine how an author develops a thesis/claim)
and 2) critique (assessing or judging how well the author developed the
thesis/claim). In other words, critical analysis focuses on HOW (analysis) and
HOW WELL (critique).
First, consider carefully the author’s thesis or claim. What position does
the writer take or what kind of claim does he/she make about the topic? Next, try
to determine the author’s biases/prejudices and vested interests (what the author
stands to lose or gain) in the subject. To do this, you may do a Google search
of the writer’s name, or go to the Web site of the organization or institution the
writer is affiliated with. (Most Websites have an About button either at the top or
at the bottom of the home page. Click on this button for more information.)
After you have determined the writer’s claim and discovered his biases,
use the areas of support as the basis of your analysis: evidence and reasoning.
Include a paragraph early in your paper in which you present information
about the author’s background and organizations/groups he/she is affiliated with
(information from the Google search mentioned above). This knowledge about
the writer’s biases will help you as you make assessments about support for
his/her claims.
Each body paragraph should do two things: 1) analyze the writer’s use of
evidence and reasoning, and 2) assess how well the writer develops his
thesis/claim based on evidence and reasoning. In the conclusion of your essay,
present an overall judgment of the strengths and weaknesses of the author’s
argument.
Additional Requirements:
 3 ½ -5 pages in length.
 Follow MLA format throughout.
 Include a hyperlink to the article.
 Submit your essay to turnitin.com.
Due:__April 21, 2015_________