EAPP END TERM REVIEWER

[Maiya Alafriz]

Coverage:
1. Constructing abstract proposals
2. Stating the thesis and main arguments
3. Writing critiques and position papers
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Abstract
⁃ Overall purpose of the study

⁃ Contains the thesis

⁃ Design of the study (how will you approach the topic?)

⁃ Summarizes the major aspects of the paper

⁃ 150-250 words

⁃ Uses an active voice.

do not use:
⁃ cited sentences

⁃ references to other literature (2 max only)

⁃ block quotes

⁃ ellipses

Why write an Abstract?

- For Selection: to quickly decide whether it is worth the readers’ time to read.

- For Indexing: must contain keywords and phrases that allow for easy online searching.

Parts of an Abstract:

1. Motivation: Importance of your wok and its impact.

2. Problem Statement: What you are trying to solve and the scope.

3. Approach: How you went about solving or making progress on the problem.

4. Results: The results and answers.

5. Conclusion: Is your answer a significant win, a hack, or serve as a road sign?

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Thesis & Main Arguments

THESIS: A one-sentence statement about your topic. It is an assertion about your topic and
something you claim to be true.

- Should come at the end of your introduction.

- State the central argument.

• Sample Thesis Statement: Because of their income deficit (Garcia, 2010) and general
susceptibility to depression (Santos, 2011), students who drop out of high school before
graduation maintain a higher risk for physical and mental health problems later in life.
MAIN ARGUMENTS

Major Points: Are the building blocks of your paper. They must build onto each other and move
the paper forward towards its conclusion.

• Sample Major Point: Employment and physical health may be a good first major point for
this sample paper. Here, a student might discuss how dropping out of high school often
leads to fewer employment opportunities, and those employment opportunities that are
available tend to be correlated with poor work environments and low pay.

Minor Points: Are subtopics within your major points. They develop your points and may come
in the form of statistics, examples from sources, or supporting ideas.

• Sample Minor Point: A sample minor point of the previous major point (employment and
physical health) might address worker injury or the frequent lack of health insurance
benefits offered by low-paying employers.
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Critiques & Position Papers

CRITIQUES
- A genre of academic writing that briefly summarizes and critically evaluates a work or
concept.

- Critiques use formal, academic writing style and has a clear structure (introduction,
body, conclusion)

- To gauge the usefulness or impact of work in a particular field.

Types of Critiques:

A. Creative Works: novels, exhibits, film, images, poetry

B. Research: monographs, journal articles, systematic reviews, theories

C. Media: news reports, feature articles

Why do we write critiques?

- Develop knowledge of the work’s subject area or related works.

- Understand the work’s purpose, intended audience, and development of argument.

- Recognize the strengths and weaknesses of the work.

Parts of a Critique Paper:

A. Introduction
- Less that 1-% of the paper length

- Introduces the work being reviewed

- Describes the main argument and purpose of the work

- Has a concluding sentence that states what the evaluation of the work will be.

B. Summary
- Briefly summarizes the main points.

- Objectively describes how the creator portrays these by using techniques, styles, media,
characters, or symbols.

- Not the focus of the critique and is shorter than critical evaluation.

C. Critical Evaluation
- Gives a systematic and detailed assessment of the different elements of the work.

- Deconstruct the work and identify strengths and weaknesses.

- Is the work objective or subjective? What are the aims? Has evidence been interpreted
fairly? What’s the point of view?

D. Conclusion
- Usually a brief paragraph.

- Statement indicating the overall evaluation of the work.

- Summary of key reasons and why the evaluation was formed.

- Recommendations for improvement on the work.

E. References
- Includes all resources.

- Must use appropriate citation format.

Language Strategies for Critiquing:

A. Offering Praise and Criticism

- “Hedging” will help express praise or criticism with varying levels of strength.

• Modal Verbs: could, can, may, might

• Qualifying Adjectives and Adverbs: possibly, likely, possibly, somewhat

• Tentative Verbs: seems, indicates, suggests

B. Offering Suggestion

- You are expected to point out problems and suggest solutions.

• Unpublished Manuscripts: “Would be X if they did Y”

• Published Manuscripts: “Would have been X is they did Y”

Steps in Writing a Critique Paper:

1. Analyze the Material

- Main purpose of the material.

- Identify the main point the material is trying to convey.

- Discuss the arguments used to support the main point and the evidence.

- Explain the conclusions reached by the author.

2. Evaluate the Material

- Is the argument logical? Is it clear and easy to read? Are facts accurate? Is the material
helpful? etc…

3. Write in Standard Essay Form

- Prepare an outline and state you main points including arguments.

- End in a thesis statement.

- Brief summary of what your work will demonstrate.

POSITION PAPERS
- an academic piece in which the student researches a controversial issue and writes a
paper that explains his/her stand or viewpoint on it.

- Goals: To take part in the larger debate on the issue and to research other papers and
formulate your own arguments on the matter.

Why do we write position papers?

- Organize your viewpoint on an issue.

- Inform others of your position.

- Present a unique though biased solution/approach to solving a problem.

- Let your passion be demonstrated in the force of your argument.

- Guide you in being consistent in maintaining your position in negotiation.

1. Making a Claim

- When beginning to write a paper, ask yourself, “What is my point?”

- For example, the point of this reviewer is to help you study for the end terms, and we are
arguing that an important step in the process of effective studying is understanding the
concept of a position paper.

- Asking yourself what your point is can help you avoid a mere information dump.

Readers are usually looking for two things:

1. Proof that you understand the material.

2. A demonstration of your ability to use or apply the material in ways that go beyond what
you have read or heard.

2. Evidence

- Be consistent with your evidence.

- You can often use more than one type of evidence within a paper.

3. Counterargument

- Show that you have a deep understanding of the issue you are discussing by addressing
counterarguments or objections.

- By considering what someone who disagrees with your position might have to say about
your argument, you show that you have thought things through with your argument,

4. Audience

- State both your claim and your evidence clearly, catered to persuade your audience.

- For example, a lifetime of dealing with your family members has helped you figure out which
arguments work best to persuade each of them.

- You will need sturdy proof.

5. Critical reading

- Although some of the material you read will be very persuasive, do not fall under the spell of
the printed word as authority.

- What is the author trying to prove? What is the author assuming I will agree with?

- Do you agree with the author? Does the author adequately defend her argument? What kind
of proof does she use? Is there something she leaves out that you would put in?

Structuring a Position Paper:

—> Define the issue.

—> State your position.

—> Discuss and analyze the various positions you have researched.

—> Discuss and analyze your position and its strengths and weaknesses.

—> Discuss its relevance to other positions.

—> Provide counters against weaknesses in the argument.

—> Give reasons why your position is the optimum one for all parties involved.

Things to Consider

- Diction (choice of words for idea expression)

- One main point per paragraph

- Transition words (for instance, in fact, beyond, hence, however, etc…)

- Grammar and spelling

- Academic honesty (proof read & give credit where it is due)

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Extra Notes

MOVIE PROCESSING

Types of Analysis:

A. Semiotic Analysis

- Meaning behind signs and symbols, typically involving metaphors, analogies, and
symbolisms.

- Symbols may denote concepts (like liberty & peace) and feelings (like hate & love) that they
often have nothing to do with.

considers questions such as:

* What might you assume about characters from small hints?

* How are these hints used to construct characters?

B. Narrative Structure Analysis

- Analysis of story elements including plot structure, character motivations, and theme.

- Breaks the story of the film into 3 elements

considers questions such as:

• How does the story follow or deviate from typical structures?

• What is the theme of the film and how is it constructed?

C. Contextual Analysis

- The analysis of the film as part of a broader context such as the culture, time, and place of
the film’s creation.

considers questions such as:

• How does the meaning of the film change when seen outside of its culture?

• What characteristics distinguish the film as being of its particular culture?

D. Mise-en-scene Analysis

- Analysis of the arrangements of compositional elements in the film and their significance.

- Essentially the analysis of audiovisual elements that most distinctly separate film analysis
from literary analysis.

considers questions such as:

• What effects are created in a scene and what is their purpose?

• How does the film attempt to achieve its goal by the way it looks and did it succeed?

• How is the lighting used to construct mood and did it shift at any point during the film?

• What does the setting say about characters and how do props reveal aspects of personality?

Questions to Ask:

1. Plot

- was it believable?

2. Themes and Tones

- was it made to entertain, educate, or bring awareness to an issue?

3. Characterization

- how were the characters portrayed in the movie?

- did the characters display complex personalities or were they stereotypes?

4. Direction

- did you like how the director chose to tell the story?

- was the pacing of the movie too fast or too dragging?

5. Score

- Did the music support the mood of the movie?

- Was it too distracting or too subtle?

6. Cinematography

- Were the shots used in a unique way to tell the story?

- Did coloring and lighting affect the tone?

- How well did the camera move?

7. Production Design

- Was the set believable to the story and characters?

- Were the costumes suitable for the story?

8. Special Effects

- Were they believable?

- Did they integrate well to the purpose of the story?

9. Editing

- Was the editing clean or choppy?

- Was there a consistent flow?

10. Pace

- did the movie flow well?

- did certain scenes drag the movie?