Sustainability6

Fulbright 2014

Essay #1

Reader-Response Essay

The first essay of the program will ask you to choose a research article and explore your response to it.

The purpose of the assignment is for you, the reader, to examine, explain, and defend a reaction to a text. You will be asked to identify the article's purpose, explain whether you agree or disagree with the author, and critique the article. There is no right or wrong answer to a reader response. Nonetheless, it is important that you demonstrate an understanding of the reading and clearly explain and support your reactions. Explaining why you have the reaction you do will be important.

You may have many reactions, so you will need to find a focusing point. You can brainstorm to find the central issue from the reading which you want to respond to. You will want to support each of your ideas with specific, concrete details from the reading and possibly from your experience. This is your response, so use your voice.

The essay should include two components: summary and critique.

• After introducing the article, provide the readers with a summary of the article. Imagine that they have never read it and may be unfamiliar with its context within the body of literature. Include only relevant, major details that are necessary for the reader’s understandng of your critique. A summary should be accurate, unbiased, concise, and clear. Paraphrase or quote when necessary, and be very cautious of plagiarism.

• The main purpose of the essay is to critique the article you have chosen.

o To develop your thesis, consider your initial reaction to the article you chose. For example, perhaps you got angry at a point or methodology used or sympathized with the participants.

o To develop your analysis, use evidence from the text (quotes/paraphrase) and include full explanation to provide complete support for each point. Use PIE structure to help you organize and explain your ideas....