Midterm

• Critical writing


  Requires a careful study of ideas presented, analytical and evaluative, productive and progressive
• Descriptive writing


  Quick and shallow, works on an emotional rather than an intellectual level, locked on the pre-existing opinion of the reader
• Critical writing vs Descriptive writing

  Critical writing evaluates the significance, strengths, weaknesses, and options, compares and contrasts views, considers relevance/validity. Descriptive writing reports what happened, outlines what something is, lists details/information/options, quotes/summarizes/paraphrases information, states evidence
• Factors of critical writing

  • Pay attention to your thinking (elements of reasoning)
  • Pay attention to the quality of your thinking (standards of critical thinking)
  • Pay attention to yourself as you write (critical thinking character traits)
  • Pay attention to the fundamental concepts central to all writing (content/message, audience, communication)
• Elements of reasoning


  Analyzing your topic, focusing and narrowing it down, generating a thesis statement, finding main points
• Brainstorming


  A prewriting technique to identify possible aspects of the topic to pursue
• Freewriting


  A brainstorming strategy where you write freely without caring about spelling/punctuation, to increase flow of ideas and reduce self-censorship
• Listing


  A brainstorming strategy of writing down keywords to generate ideas
• Diagramming


  Brainstorming methods like clustering, branching, and comparing in columns to visually represent relationships between ideas
• Thesis statement


  States the subject matter and main ideas, defines the scope and focus, acts as a roadmap, makes a claim that can be proven with evidence
• Outlining


  The skeleton of the essay, listing arguments and subtopics in logical order using a formal outline structure
• Writing


  A physical and mental act
• Writing (physical act)


  • Committing words or ideas to some medium
• Writing (mental act)


  • Inventing ideas, thinking about how to express them, and organizing them into statements and paragraphs that will be clear to the reader
• Writing


  Has a dual purpose - to express and to impress
• Writing


  Is a process and also a product
• Writing process


  • Planning, drafting, revising, editing, publishing
• LANE (2021): 'Critical writing depends on critical thinking. Your writing will involve reflection on written texts: that is, critical reading.'
• Critical writing


  • Providing appropriate and sufficient arguments and examples
  • Choosing terms that are precise, appropriate, persuasive
  • Making clear the transitions from one thought to another to ensure the overall logic of the presentation
  • Editing for content, structure, and language
• Respond (in critical writing)


  Open-minded & objective, requires a careful study of ideas presented, analytical and evaluative, productive and progressive
• React (in critical writing)


  Emotional & subjective, quick and shallow, works on an emotional rather than an intellectual level, locked on the pre-existing opinion of the reader
• Descriptive writing


  Reports information about something, but doesn't perform any kind of reasoning or pass judgement on or analyze the information
• Descriptive writing


  • Reports what happened
  • Outlines what something is
  • Lists details, information and/or options
  • Quotes, summarizes, or paraphrases information from different writers
  • States evidence/s
• Critical writing


  Involves developing a reasoned argument and participating in academic debate, using something you have read, done or seen to persuade the reader of your position
• Critical writing


  • Evaluates the significance of what happened
  • Evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of something
  • Critiques the options in order to select the best one
  • Compares and contrasts the views of different writers
  • Considers the relevance or validity of information from different writers
• Pay attention to your thinking when writing critically

  1. What is your purpose?

  2. What questions are you addressing?

  3. What implications and consequences are of saying X rather than Y?
• Pay attention to the quality of your thinking when writing critically

  Ask whether what you're saying is accurate, clear, or relevant to the issue you're addressing
• Pay attention to yourself as you write critically

  1. Ask questions about intellectual perseverance, intellectual integrity, and fairmindedness

  2. Consider impediments you face such as limited time or biases and personal beliefs
• Fundamental concepts central to all writing


  • Content or message you are trying to convey
  • Audience you are trying to convey it to
  • Communication you need to use to convey it
• Writing a paper


  1. Planning

  2. Researching

  3. Writing the paper (introductory section, body, concluding section, giving credit)

  4. Revising
• Topic


  The general subject you will be writing about
• Thesis statement/Thesis


  The specific claim you want to put forward about the topic
• Main points


  Explain, support, or elaborate on your thesis statement
• Structure/Outline


  The composite of thesis and main points, serves as the skeleton or blueprint of your paper
• Research is an essential part of writing a paper
• Introductory and concluding section

  • The paper begins with an introductory section and ends with a concluding section
• Body


  The bulk of what you will be writing, where you turn your plan (thesis and main points) into the actual paper
• Giving credit


  Using in-text citations, references in footnotes or endnotes, and bibliography/works cited section to maintain intellectual integrity
• Revising


  Making changes, adding and subtracting ideas, and sharpening the paper
• Going around the circle

  1. Analyze your topic, focus it and open it up

  2. Generate a strong workable thesis statement

  3. Create the structure and outline of your paper

  4. See clearly what you will need to research

  5. Construct the introductory section and concluding section of your paper, step-by-step