CRITICAL THINKING
- EVALUATIVE THINKING
- TO EVALUATE MEANS TO CAREFULLY
WEIGH ANY IDEA AND DECISION
- CRITICIZE & EVALUATE BOTH MEAN TO JUDGE
- JUDGEMENTS CAN BE BOTH POSITIVE & NEGATIVE
- KNOW THE STANDARDS OR CRITERIA TO USE
CRITICAL READING
- IMPORTANT NOT ONLY IN ACADEMICS BUT IN
LIFE
CRITICAL WRITING
- PRODUCT OF CRITICAL THINKING & READING
- JUDGEMENT PRESENTED IN WRITTEN FORM
- COMMON FORMS OF CRITICAL THINKING
ARE: REACTION PAPERS, CRITIQUES (TWO
FORMS OF CRITICAL WRITING USED
EXTENSIVELY IN ACADEME)
CRITIQUE
- PAPER THAT ASSESS OR EVALUATE THE
MERITS OF A PIECE OF WORK
- ITS PURPOSE IS TO JUDGE A STUDENT’S
CRITICAL THINKING ABILITY
- SWALES & FEAK (2012), CRITIQUE IS FRENCH
FOR “CRITICAL ASSESSENT”, CAN MEAN
POSITIVE/NEGATIVE JUDGEMENT ON THE
WORK, OR A COMBINATION OF BOTH
- OBJECTIVE, USES CRITERIA
- E.G: FILM, BOOK REVIEWS
REACTION PAPERS
- ITS PURPOSE IS TO DETERMINE HOW
STUDENTS FELT ABOUT THE TOPIC
- PAPER THAT PRESENT A WRITER’S
EVALUATION OF THE WORK, AS WELL AS
EXPERIENCES AND FEELINGS
- SUBJECTIVE
CRITIQUES AND REACTION PAPERS SERVE AS GUIDES,
BUT IN A DIFFERENT WAY: THEY HELP THESE PEOPLE
MAKE DECISIONS
FACTS AND OPINION
FACTS
- SOMETHING CAN BE DONE TO DETERMINE
WHETHER STATEMENT IS TRUE/FALSE
- TESETD THROUGH OBSERVATION OR
CONDUCT OWN EXPERIMENT
OPINION
- EXPRESSION OF A PERSON’S FEELINGS,
ATTITUDES, OR BELIEFS THAT ARE NEITHER
TRUE/FALSE
- LEAVE MUCH ROOM FOR DISAGREEMENT BC
IT CAN NEVER BE CONCLUSIVELY PROVEN AS
TRUE/FALSE
CAREFULLY USE FACTS TO SUPPORT OPINIONS. THUS,
WE MUST BE ABLE TO CHOOSE FACTS THAT ARE
RELEVANT TO OUR OPINION.
- IN REACTION PAPERS, MAKE SURE OPINIONS
ARE SUPPORTED BY FACTS
- IF GIVING JUDGEMENT ON A FILM’S STORY,
SUPPORTING FACTS SHOULD BE FACTUAL
DETAILS FROM THE FILM ITSELF
- RIGHT USE OF DETAILS SUPPORT OPNIONS TO
MAKE IT MORE CONVINCING AND
ACCEPTABLE TO THE READER
- ALSO ENSURES AUDIENCE GIVE CAREFUL
ATTENTION TO DETAILS OF THE EVALUATED
WORK
CRITICAL APPROACHES IN WRITING CRITIQUE
I. FORMALIST CRITICISM
I.I REGARDS LITERATURE AS A UNIQUE
FORM OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE
I.II FOCUSES ON THE WORDS OF THE TEXT
RATHER THAN FACTS ABOUT AUTHOR’S
LIFE OR HISTORIAL MILIEU
I.III FEATURES OF THE TEXT: STYLE
(IRONY, HUMOR, SIMPLICITY) STRUCTURE
(SENTENCE STRUCTURE: SHORT, LONG,
SIMPLE, COMPLICATED) AND GENRE
(POEM, FICTION, PLAY, FILM )
II. BIOGRAPHICAL CRITICISM
II.I BEGINS W/ SIMPLE BUT CENTRAL
INSIGHT, UNDERSTANDING AN AUTHOR’S LIFE
II.II AUTHOR’S EXPERIENCE SHAPES –
BOTH DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY, WHAT
HE OR SHE CREATES
III. HISTORICAL CRITICISM
III.I INVESTIGATES SOCIAL, CULTURAL
AND INTELLECTUAL CONTEXT, A CONTEXT
THAT NECESSARILY INCLUDES ARTIST’S
BIOGRAPHY
 III.II EXPLORES POSSIBLE WAYS IN WHICH
THE MEANING OF THE TEXT HAS
CHANGED OVER TIME
IV. GENDER CRITICISM
IV.I EXAMINES HOW SEXUAL IDENTITY
INFLUENCES CREATION AND RECEPTION
OF LITERARY WORKS
IV.II FEMINIST CRITICS BELIEVE CULTURE
HAS BEEN COMPLETELY DOMINATED BY
MEN THAT LITERATURE IS FULL OF
UNEXAMINED “MALE-PRODUCED”
ASSUMPTIONS
IV.III 2 DISTINCT VARIETIES: WOMAN AS
WRITER, WOMAN AS READER
V. PSYCHOLOGICAL CRITICISM
V.I MODERN PSYCHOLOGY HAS HAD AN
IMMENSE EFFECT ON BOTH LTIERATURE
AND LITERARY CRITICISM
V.II 3 APPROACHES:
V.III INVESTIGATES CREATIVE PROCESS
OF THE ARTIST
V.IV PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY OF A
PARTICULAR ARTIST
V.V ANALYSIS OF FICTIONAL
CHARACTERS
VI. SOCIOLOGICAL CRITICISM
VI.I EXAMINES LITERATURE IN CULTURAL,
ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL CONTEXT
VI.II EXPLORES RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN
ARTIST AND SOCIETY
V.III SOMETIMES LOOKS AT
SOCIOLOGICAL STATUS OF THE AUTHOR
TO EVALUATE HOW THE PROFESSION OF
THE WRITER IN A PARTICULAR MILIEU
AFFECTED WAS WRITTEN
V.IV ALSO ANALYZES SOCIAL CONTENT OF
LITERARY WORKS
V.V EXAMINES THE ROLE THE AUDIENCE
HAS IN SHAPING LITERATURE
VII. MYTHOLOGICAL CRITICISM
VII.I INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH THAT
COMBINES INSIGHTS OF ANTHROPOLOGY,
PSYCHOLOGY, HISTORY AND
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
VII.II EXPLORES ARTIST’S COMMON
HUMANITY BY TRACING HOW THE
INDIVIDUAL IMAGINATION USES MYTHS
AND SYMBOLS COMMON TO DIFF.
CULTURE AND EPOCHS
VIII. DECONSTRUCTIONIST CRITICISM
VIII.I REJECTS TRADITIONAL ASSUMPTION
THAT LANGUAGE CAN ACCURATELY
REPRESENT REALITY
VIII.II ACCORDING TO
DECONSTRUCTIONISTS, LANGUAGE IS
FUNDAMENTALLY AN UNSTABLE
MEDIUM: CONSEQUENTLY, LITERARY
TEXTS, WHICH ARE MADE UP OF WORDS,
HAVE NO FIXED, SINGLE MEANING
VIII.III ROLAND BARTHES AND MICHEL
FOUCAULT CALLED FOR “THE DEATH OF
THE AUTHOR” THAT IS, REJECTION OF THE
ASSUMPTION THAT THE AUTHOR, NO
MATTER HOW INGENIOUS, CAN FULY
CONTROL THE MEANING OF A TEXT
VIII.IV ALSO ANNOUNCED DEATH OF
LITERATURE AS A SECIAL CATEGORY OF
WRITING
IX. READER-RESPONSE CRITICISM
IX.I ATTEMPTS TO DESCRIBE WHAT
HAPPENS IN THE READER’S MIND WHILE
INTERPRETING A TEXT
IX.II RECOGNIZES THAT READING IS A
CREATIVE PROCESS
IX.III A TEXT, ACCORDING TO THIS
CRITICAL SCHOOL, IS NOT FINISHED UNTIL
IT IS READ AND INTERPRETED
A GOOD CRITIQUE/ REACTION PAPER SHOULD BE
I. ACCURATE – PROVIDES AN ACCURATE
DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK BEING
EVALUATED BY GIVING ITS SUMMARY
AND/OR BACKGROUND DETAILS
I.I ANSWERS TO BASIC REPORTING
QUESTIONS OF WHO, WHAT, WHEN,
WHERE AND WHY
II. EVALUATE – GIVES WRITER’S OVERALL
JUDGEMENT OF THE WORK.
II.I MAKES JUDGEMENT CONVINCING BY
GIVING 3 OR MORE SUPPORTING
EVALUATIONS
III. BALANCED – POINTS OUT WEAKNESSES
AND STRONG POINTS OF A WORK
BOTH REACTION PAPER AND CRITIQUE BEGIN W/ A
SUMMARY
BOTH CONCLUDE A RESTATEMENT OF THE OVERALL
JUDGEMENT OF THE TALK, WHICH YOU FIRST READ IN
THE LAST SENTENCE OF THE PARAGRAPH 1 OF BOTH
TEXTS

HOWEVER, BOTH BODY CONTENTS ARE DIFFERENT.

WRITING PROCESS

I. KNOW WELL THE NATURE OF WRITING

ASSIGNMENT
I.I ESPECIALLY THE SUBJECT &
ANALYTICAL ELEMENTS (WHAT MAKES IT
GOOD OR BAD)
I.II ANALYTICAL ELEMENTS – RELATED TO
ANALYSIS, TO BREAK SOMETHING TO ITS
COMPONENTS
II. SEE, LISTEN TO, OR EXPERIENCE THE
WORK ASSIGNED FOR EVALUATION
II.I TAKING CAREFUL NOTE OF
IMPORTANT DETAILS
II.II HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR
VIEWING EXPERIENCE:
II.I KEEP A NOTEBOOK TO JOT DOWN
THOUGHTS
II.II GET HANDOUTS
III. OUTLINE YOUR PRESENTATION
III.I FOLLOWING CONVENTIAL
ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN FOR
CRITIQUES AND REACTION PAPERS
III.II COMPOSED OF INTRODUCTION
(SUMMARY OF WORK BEING EVALUATED,
BACKGROUND INFO, & REVIEWER’S
REACTOR’S OVERALL JUDGEMENT OF THE
SUBJECT) BODY (SUPPORTING OPINIONS
TO THE OVERALL JUDGEMENT) AND
CONCLUSION (A RESTATEMENT/FINAL
THOUGHTS OF CRITIC)
IV. DRAFT AND EDIT YOUR PAPER
IV.I PAYING CAREFUL ATTENTION TO
MECHANICAL AND GRAMMATICAL
CONCERNS
IV.II NEVER PASS A DRAFT TO THE
TEACHER
IV.III CHECK ACCURACY OF THE FACTUAL
DETAILS IN YOUR PAPER