Review of Intro to Summary-Critique [15 min]
1) Guidelines for writing a summary
2) 3 steps for effective summary writing: beginning, body, closing (10 min)
3) Differences between a critique and criticism
4) Six ways to attack an argument
5) Six steps of refutation
How to Organize a Summary-Critique [40 min]
Sample Critique Analysis [20 min]
Language of Evaluation [20 min]
Common Problems in Critique
1. General comments
1) Name your file correctly
2) Formatting - double-spaced, 12 font, each paragraph indented
2. Summary part
1) Use more specific, powerful words to report the thesis of the article and make sure you include all key words from the article
E.g) discuss / talk about soda taxes (too vague) -> argue against /
criticize / challenge implementing soda taxes (more specific)
2) Follow the same order as the original article (thesis -> main points from the body -> conclusion)
3) Beware of plagiarism (Don't copy/paste even just a couple words in a
row except for generic nouns, technical terms like soda taxes, obesity,
externality)
E.g) It is unlikely that soda taxes would rectify the externality (Exact copy)
-> Soda taxes may not correct the externality (Paraphrase with only copying the technical terms)
4) Summary should be ONE paragraph
5) Don't forget to put your thesis statement at the end of the 1st paragraph (this is a transition to your critique)
3. Critique part
1) Critique the authors' arguments, use of evidence, and language NOT soda taxes. (Don't explain your position on soda taxes)
2) The topic sentence of each paragraph should be YOUR critique point,
not a summary of specific part of the article. Provide the summary of
specific part of the article after the topic sentence.
Homework [30 min]
Critique questions for “Would SodaTaxes Really Yield Health Benefits?”
