Enfocad Reviewer
Otherwise, you are
Lesson 8: Reaction Paper
Reaction Paper - is a form of
academic writing that allows the
writer to share their thoughts and
ideas on what they have seen or
read.
How to Write a Reaction
Paper?
1. Prewriting and Actively
Reading - understand the
purpose of a reaction paper.
2. Figure out what the
assignment is asking - figure out
exactly what your teacher or
professor is looking for.
3. Read the text you are
assigned right after it is
assigned - A reaction paper is a
process of exploring the texts,
which means you take the
information you read and bring it
together so you can analyze and
evaluate.
4. Annotate the text as you
read - Annotating in the margins
of the text allows you to easily
locate quotations, plot lines,
character development, or
reactions to the text.
5. Question as you read - This is
where your evaluation of the
material and your reaction begins
6. Free write - Write your
reactions and evaluations of the
author's ideas.
7. Decide on your angle -
Reaction papers have to be
critical and have some evaluation
of the text.
just summarizing what you read.
8. Determine your thesis - This
is the core of your reaction paper.
Take all your points, opinions,
and observations, and combine
them into one claim that you will
prove
9. Organize your paper - It
needs an introduction, body
paragraphs, and a conclusion.
10. Gather quotations - find
quotations or statements that will
support your points.
11. Structure your paragraphs
- Your paragraphs should always
start with a topic sentence. You
can start with what the author
says and follow that with your
reaction.
12. Keep it short - The topic
sentence should put forward your
intention without forcing your
reader to hunt it down; keeping it
short will help keep your
intention clear.
13. Avoid introducing yourself
- Never use statements such as;
“I am going to tell you…” or
“My paper is about…” or “I
studied [this] which is important
because of [this]”.
14. Avoid starting with a
quotation - The topic sentence
should introduce the paragraph
and include your opinion, not
someone else’s. If the quote is
opinion-based, substitute it for
your own opinion.
Lesson 9: Review Paper
Review Paper/ Literature Rev -write the thesis statement
-the purpose of it is to succinctly Body or Discussion
review recent progress in a -experimental evidence. Explain
particular topic. the data and point out any
-the paper summarizes the controversies in the field
current state of knowledge of the - use figures or tables to show
topic key data
-provides background info., to Conclusion
establish importance,
demonstrate reliability, and carve -summarize major points but
out a space for further addition to keep them brief.
research. -point out the significance of
Review P. vs. Research P. these results.
The review paper does not -discuss the questions that remain
describe the original research in the area.
conducted by the author(s). References
Research Paper, on the other
hand, contains original research -the instructor will give min.
work by the author. num. of references, but typically
8-10 ref.
Sections of a Review Paper
-APA 7th edition
Abstract
-a contextual sentence about your
motivation behind your research
topic
-your thesis statements
-a descriptive statement about the
types of lit. used in the review
-summarize your findings
-conclusion(s) based upon your
findings
Introduction
-brief (1/5 of the paper)
-grab the reader’s interest
-explain the “big picture”
relevance
- provide background info
Lesson 10: Critique Paper
Critique - is a genre of academic
writing that briefly summarizes and
critically evaluates a work or
concept.
They analyze this kind of works
Creative Works – novels, exhibits,
films, images
Research – monographs, journal
articles, reviews,
Media – news reports, feature
articles
Critical approaches in writing a
Critique
New Criticism (Formalism) -
claims that literary works have
intrinsic properties and treats each
work as a distinct work of art.
-Elements of a story character,
setting, conflict, etc. Poem (meter,
figurative devices, imagery, theme)
Movies (sound effects, transitions,
shots)
-We use the formalism to determine
the meaning by focusing on literary
Reader Response - is concerned
with the reviewer’s reaction as an
audience of a literary work
-Claims that the reader’s role
cannot be separated from the
understanding of the work
-Claims that a text does not have
meaning until the reader reads and
interprets it
-This criticism is focused on the
message of the text
Feminism - focuses on how
literature presents women as
subjects of socio-political,
psychological, and economic
oppression
-Are the male characters powerful
or superior in their position while
the female characters are
subordinate or inferior?
Marxism - concerned with the
difference between economic
classes. Attempts to reveal that the
ultimate source of people’s
experiences is the socioeconomic
system.
-Focus on how class, power, race,
and economic status affect the
content and theme of a certain work
New Historicism - posits that
every literary work is the product
of its time and world. As the means
to understand cultural and
intellectual history.
-Focus on the era and significant
events that happened during the
time the text (or any other art) was
produced.
-How did Juan Luna’s spolarium
depict the happenings during the
time it was painted?
Media Criticism - dissect a
popular film and other forms to
explain to a broad audience how, in
academic terms, these cultural
artifacts can be reflective of social
issues, evidence artistic
accomplishment, offer a critical
voice to power, and much more
-Often taking the form of a visual
essay, the media critique requires
editorializing and translating both
written and visual source materials
into an understandable whole
Lesson 11: Position Paper 5. Stating Your Thesis - an
assertion about your topic,
Position Paper - an essay or
something you claim to be true
report which expresses a
position, conclusion, or 6. Writing with Style and
recommendation concerning a Clarity – you should have good:
Diction – refers to the choice of
contested issue or undecided
words for the expression of ideas
question.
Paragraphs – developing and
- The purpose of a position
framing an idea or impression.
paper is to generate support for As a general rule, you should
an issue. It describes a position address only one major idea per
on an issue and the rationale for paragraph
that position. It is based on facts
Transition – provide the reader
that provide a solid foundation
with directions for how to piece
for your arguments.
together your ideas into a
Techniques for Writing a logically coherent argument.
Position Paper
1. Issue Criteria - Choose an
issue where there is a clear
division of opinion and which is
arguable with facts and inductive
reasoning
2. Analyzing an Issue and
Developing an Argument

Grammar and Spelling –

Mechanical errors are usually the
main reason for lack of clarity in
essays, so be sure to thoroughly
proofread your paper before
handing it in.
3. Considering your audience Plagiarism and Academic
and determining your Honesty - is a form of stealing;
viewpoint – is your topic as with other offences against the
interesting? law, ignorance is no excuse. The
4. Organization – introduction, way to avoid plagiarism is to
body & conclusion give credit where credit is due.
Lesson 12: Logical Fallacies
Logical Fallacy
-Logical fallacies are flawed,
deceptive, or false arguments that
can be proven wrong with
reasoning.
-Fallacies are common errors in
reasoning that will undermine the
logic of your argument.
-Fallacies can be either
illegitimate arguments or
irrelevant points and are often
identified because they lack
evidence that supports their
claim.
-Avoid these common fallacies in
your own arguments.
Types of Logical Fallacy
Ad Hominem - uses personal
attacks rather than logic. This
fallacy occurs when someone
rejects or criticizes another point
of view based on the personal
characteristics, ethnic
background, physical
appearance, or other non-relevant
traits of the person who holds it.
Appeal to Ignorance - argues
that a proposition must be true
because it has not been proven
false or there is no evidence
against it.
False Dilemma/False
Dichotomy - is a manipulative
tool designed to polarize the
audience, promoting one side and
demonizing another. It's common
in political discourse as a way of
strong-arming the public into
supporting controversial
legislation or policies.
Slippery Slope - assumes that a
certain course of action will
necessarily lead to a chain of
future events. The slippery slope
fallacy takes a benign premise or
starting point and suggests that it
will lead to unlikely or ridiculous
outcomes with no supporting
evidence.
Straw Man - attacks a different
subject rather than the topic
being discussed — often a more
extreme version of the
counterargument. The purpose of
this misdirection is to make one's
position look stronger than it is.
Circular Arguments - occur
when a person's argument repeats
what they already assumed
before without arriving at a new
conclusion.
Hasty Generalization - a claim
based on a few examples rather
than substantial proof.
Arguments based on hasty
generalizations often don't hold
up due to a lack of supporting
evidence: The claim might be
true in one case, but that doesn't
mean it's always true.
Red Herring - an argument that
uses confusion or distraction to
shift attention away from a topic
and toward a false conclusion.
Red herrings usually contain an
unimportant fact, idea, or event
that has little relevance to the real
issue.
Appeal to Hypocrisy - also
known as the tu quoque fallacy
— focuses on the hypocrisy of an
opponent. The tu quoque fallacy
deflects criticism away from
oneself by accusing the other
person of the same problem or
something comparable.
- an attempt to divert blame. The
fallacy usually occurs when the
arguer uses apparent hypocrisy to
neutralize criticism and distract
from the issue.
Causal Fallacies - are informal
fallacies that occur when an
argument incorrectly concludes
that a cause is related to an
effect. Think of the causal fallacy
as a parent category for other
fallacies about unproven causes.
Sunk Cost - is when someone
continues doing something
because of the effort they already
put in it, regardless of whether
the additional costs outweigh the
potential benefits. "Sunk cost" is
an economic term for any past
expenses that can no longer be
recovered.
Appeal to Authority - is the
misuse of an authority's opinion
to support an argument. While an
authority's opinion can represent
evidence and data, it becomes a
fallacy if their expertise or
authority is overstated,
illegitimate, or irrelevant to the
topic.
Equivocation - happens when a
word, phrase, or sentence is used
deliberately to confuse, deceive,
or mislead. In other words,
saying one thing but meaning
another.
Appeal to Pity - relies on
provoking your emotions to win
an argument rather than factual
evidence. Appealing to pity
attempts to pull on an audience's
heartstrings, distract them, and
support their point of view.
- Someone accused of a crime
using a cane or walker to appear
feebler in front of a jury is one
example of appeal to pity. The
appearance of disability isn't an
argument on the merits of the
case, but it's intended to sway the
jury's opinion anyway.
Bandwagon Fallacy - assumes
something is true (or right or
good) because others agree with
it. In other words, the fallacy
argues that if everyone thinks a
certain way, then you should,
too.
-One problem with this kind of
reasoning is that the broad
acceptance of a claim or action
doesn't mean that it's factually
justified. People can be mistaken,
confused, deceived, or even
willfully irrational in their
opinions, so using them to make
an argument is flawed.