Quarter 3_Week4 WRITING A CRITIQUE April 16, 2021 SLIDESMANIA.COM Module Objectives: ⬤ react to the falsity or soundness of a short story; ⬤ react intelligently and creatively to the text read; and ⬤ write a critique of an independent selection. SLIDESMANIA.COM What is a critique? 01 A critique is a genre of academic writing that briefly summarizes and critically evaluates a work or concept. SLIDESMANIA.COM Did you know? Critiques can be used to analyze carefully a variety of works such as: Creative works – novels, exhibits, film, images Research – monographs, journal articles, reviews Media – news reports, feature articles SLIDESMANIA.COM Did you know? A man's best friend... Mmm, can I fit in?... Did you know that dogs can smell your feelings? Did you know that a cat uses its whiskers as feelers to determine if a space is too small to squeeze through? Dogs can pick up on subtle changes in your scent, which can help him figure out how you are feeling, such as by smelling your perspiration when you become nervous or fearful. Also, cats love to sleep. A fifteen-yearold cat has probably spent ten years of its life sleeping. SLIDESMANIA.COM Like an essay, a critique uses a formal, academic writing style and has a clear structure, that is, an introduction, body, and conclusion. However, the body of a critique includes a summary of the work and a detailed evaluation. The purpose of an evaluation is to gauge the usefulness or impact of a work in a particular field. SLIDESMANIA.COM Why do we write critiques? Writing a critique on a work helps us to develop: SLIDESMANIA.COM • a knowledge of the work’s subject area or related works • an understanding of the work’s purpose, intended audience, development of argument, structure of evidence or creative style, and • a recognition of the strengths and weaknesses of the work. How to Write a Critique Before you start writing, it is important to have a thorough understanding of the work that will be critiqued. SLIDESMANIA.COM • Study the work under discussion. • Make notes on key parts of the work. • Develop an understanding of the main argument or purpose being expressed in the work. • Consider how the work relates to a broader issue or context. Typically, the introduction is short (less than 10% of the word length) and you should: • • • • SLIDESMANIA.COM Name the work being reviewed as well as the date it was created and the name of the author/creator. Describe the main argument or purpose of the work. Explain the context in which the work was created. Have a concluding sentence that signposts what your evaluation of the work will be. For instance, it may indicate whether it is a positive, negative, or mixed evaluation. Introduction ● Article Reviewed: Pesch, Udo, “Administrators and Accountability: The Plurality of Value Systems in the Public Domain,” Public Integrity, Fall, 2008, Vol. 10, No. 4, pp. 335 -343. SLIDESMANIA.COM The article, “Administrators and Accountability: The Plurality of Value Systems in the Public Domain”, by Udo Pesch seeks to address how accountability and value systems interact in the decisions made by public administrators. The research problem being addressed is whether public administrators are free from accountability for their decisions and what are the different influences that can affect their decisions. Briefly summarize the main points and objectively describe how the creator portrays these by using techniques, styles, media, characters or symbols. This summary should not be the focus of the critique and is usually shorter than the critical evaluation. Summary SLIDESMANIA.COM It is clear from the abstract of the article that this is no simple issue. In fact the article is fairly confusing for the first couple paragraphs. The author starts by saying that explicit ethics codes of reference systems make it easier to hold individuals accountable for their actions, however a conflict emerges when an individual’s moral values are different from such accountability policies. What can make accountability more complicated are the motivations of the administrator and also the individual’s inability to perceive future consequences of their decisions. SLIDESMANIA.COM This section should give a systematic and detailed assessment of the different elements of the work, evaluating how well the creator was able to achieve the purpose through these. A critical evaluation does not simply highlight negative impressions. It should deconstruct the work and identify both strengths and weaknesses. It should examine the work and evaluate its success, in light of its purpose. Critical Evaluation SLIDESMANIA.COM Critical Questions (Examples) SLIDESMANIA.COM Who is the creator? Is the work presented objectively or subjectively? What are the aims of the work? Were the aims achieved? What techniques, styles, media were used in the work? Are they effective in portraying the purpose? d. What assumptions underlie the work? Do they affect its validity? e. What types of evidence or persuasion are used? Has evidence been interpreted fairly? f. How is the work structured? Does it favor a particular interpretation or point of view? Is it effective? g. Does the work enhance understanding of key ideas or theories? h. Does the work engage (or fail to engage) with key concepts or other works in its discipline? a. b. c. To such a complicated issue the author sums the research up well by saying that there are times when a public administrator has to violate their own moral codes because there are no universal moral rules that “allow a civil servant to live up to integrity standards.” (p.341) A public administrator can hide behind laws and organizational procedures, but ultimately this is no reason to disregard accountability and there are ways that these individuals can act morally. Pesch writes, “It would be more sensible to design accountability arrangements that acknowledge that civil servants are actively responsible for their actions, and that try to provide them the opportunity to consciously address the potential difference between authorized rules and communal principles and values.” (p.341) And, while this is excellently laid out as a theory, the author ultimately admits that there is no single best design for an accountability agreement on a tangible level. SLIDESMANIA.COM This is usually a very brief paragraph, which includes: SLIDESMANIA.COM • a statement indicating the overall evaluation of the work • summary of the key reasons, identified during the critical evaluation, why this evaluation was formed. • in some circumstances, recommendations for improvement on the work may be appropriate. Conclusion SLIDESMANIA.COM Overall this article is not very straightforward in the beginning and it is not until the second page that you realize where the article is headed. In order to have more people be engaged and read the whole article it needs a new, more concise introduction. Once the reader gets to the really good examples that are relevant to the everyday life of a public administrator, a good portion of the article has already past. Overall it is a good, well-written article with an important message for public administrators and organizations. The piece, when taken as a whole, is relevant and very convincing in theory but starts slow and never lays out a concrete way of approaching this complex problem. Include all resources cited in your critique. Usually, American Psychological Association (APA) style is used in referencing. Reference List SLIDESMANIA.COM And now it’s your turn! SLIDESMANIA.COM A Short Story Critique An analytic or critical review of a book or short story; not primarily a summary; rather, it comments on and evaluates the work in the light of specific issues and theoretical concerns in a course. SLIDESMANIA.COM Free themes and templates for Google Slides or PowerPoint NOT to be sold as is or modified! SLIDESMANIA.COM Read FAQ on slidesmania.com Do not remove the slidesmania.com text on the sides. Sharing is caring!
