...shouldn’t assume the reader is familiar with the text should / shouldn’t provide a summary of the text should / shouldn’t provide many quotes should / shouldn’t be ‘hyper-critical’ should / shouldn’t write an introduction, a body and a conclusion Check your answers on Page 10 This publication can be cited as: Davies, W. M. and Beaumont, T. J. (2007), Critical Reviews, Teaching and Learning Unit, Faculty of Business and Economics, the University of Melbourne. http://tlu.fbe.unimelb.edu.au/ Further credits: Pesina, J. (design and layout). FACULTY OF BUSINESS & ECONOMICS Helpsheet CRITICAL REVIEWS Introduction The process of critically reviewing an article can seem intimidating. How, you may worry, can you think of things to say about an article written by an expert? What if you can’t find anything to “criticise”? How will you avoid just producing a summary of the article? And, how should you structure the review? There are no simple techniques that can make writing a critical review easy. A critical review is something that takes time, care and thought. Perhaps, for hours and hours, you may feel you are getting, nowhere, but then suddenly, maybe while in the bath, you have an idea… The purpose of this Helpsheet is to provide you with an approach that can help you get ideas and give you a sense of how to structure and write the review. You may find the two examples at the end of this Helpsheet to be useful. Writing a critical review in 10 steps Step 1 ...
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... Brownies: ZZ Packer Biography Brownies: Summary Brownies: Characters Brownies: Themes Brownies: Style Brownies: Historical Context Brownies: Critical Overview Brownies: Criticism Bryan Aubrey Thomson Gale David Wiegand Brownies: Topics for Further Study Brownies: What Do I Read Next? Brownies: Bibliography and Further Reading Brownies: Pictures Copyright Brownies: Introduction PrintPDFCite . “Brownies” is a story by ZZ Packer, a young African American writer. It appears in Packer’s short story collection, Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, which was published in 2003 to great acclaim. The story is about a Brownie troop of fourth-grade African American girls from suburban Atlanta, Georgia, who go to summer camp. At the camp, they encounter a troop of white girls and believe that one of the white girls addressed them with a racial insult. The African American girls resolve to beat up the white girls. “Brownies” is a story about racism as it is experienced by young girls, but it has a twist. The African American girls discover that the situation is not as clear-cut as they had believed, and as they return home on the bus, Laurel, the African American girl who narrates the story, tells them of an incident in her family involving a white Mennonite family. As she tells the story, she comes to an unsettling realization about racism and the nature of human life. Brownies Summary “Brownies” takes place at Camp Crescendo, a summer...
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...Literary Theory and Schools of Criticism Introduction A very basic way of thinking about literary theory is that these ideas act as different lenses critics use to view and talk about art, literature, and even culture. These different lenses allow critics to consider works of art based on certain assumptions within that school of theory. The different lenses also allow critics to focus on particular aspects of a work they consider important. For example, if a critic is working with certain Marxist theories, s/he might focus on how the characters in a story interact based on their economic situation. If a critic is working with post-colonial theories, s/he might consider the same story but look at how characters from colonial powers (Britain, France, and even America) treat characters from, say, Africa or the Caribbean. Hopefully, after reading through and working with the resources in this area of the OWL, literary theory will become a little easier to understand and use. Disclaimer Please note that the schools of literary criticism and their explanations included here are by no means the only ways of distinguishing these separate areas of theory. Indeed, many critics use tools from two or more schools in their work. Some would define differently or greatly expand the (very) general statements given here. Our explanations are meant only as starting places for your own investigation into literary theory. We encourage you to use the list of scholars and works provided for each...
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...Summary The Critique of Judgment, often called the Third Critique, does not have as clear a focus as the first two critiques. In broad outline, Kant sets about examining our faculty of judgment, which leads him down a number of divergent paths. While the Critique of Judgment deals with matters related to science and teleology, it is most remembered for what Kant has to say about aesthetics. Kant calls aesthetic judgments “judgments of taste” and remarks that, though they are based in an individual’s subjective feelings, they also claim universal validity. Our feelings about beauty differ from our feelings about pleasure and moral goodness in that they are disinterested. We seek to possess pleasurable objects, and we seek to promote moral goodness, but we simply appreciate beauty without feeling driven to find some use for it. Judgments of taste are universal because they are disinterested: our individual wants and needs do not come into play when appreciating beauty, so our aesthetic response applies universally. Aesthetic pleasure comes from the free play between the imagination and understanding when perceiving an object. Kant distinguishes the beautiful from the sublime. While the appeal of beautiful objects is immediately apparent, the sublime holds an air of mystery and ineffability. While a Greek statue or a pretty flower is beautiful, the movement of storm clouds or a massive building is sublime: they are, in a sense, too great to get our heads around. Kant argues...
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...study guide is for pupils of GCSE and A level English and Media Studies. The areas of study include starting points for creative writing, writing a critique, what makes great writing, representation and mise en scène. SYNOPSIS He was a vibrant personality who wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning classic novel four decades ago. And that is the last word heard of William Forrester (Sean Connery). That is until Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown), a brash sixteen-year-old with writing aspirations of his own, cracks the veneer of Forrester’s sheltered existence and re-ignites the dreams of this literary legend in the winter of his life. Known as the neighbourhood recluse, silver-haired Forrester is a man whose mystery and eccentricity border on the mythical. When he discovers that Jamal - a talented African-American scholar-athlete who is recruited by an elite Manhattan school for his brilliance on and off the basketball court - has sneaked into his apartment and left his backpack full of writings behind, they both get something unexpected in return. Forced to look past skin colour and suppositions, Jamal encounters not only his first fan, but a mentor who will challenge and change him forever, and Forrester has his first reason in years to emerge from his self-imposed solitude. Visit www.columbiatrlstar.co.uk/forrester.htm for reviews and background information. Director: Gus Van Sant UK release date: 23rd February 2001 Certificate: 12 Running time: 137 mins 1 A STUDY OF CREATIVITY THE PULITZER...
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...The Meaning of Life There is a certain point in our lives, regardless of the time, when we begin to ask ourselves a set of questions that challenge our existence on this earth. Was the human race created to wonder this world aimlessly? Or do we have a true purpose that we are destined to harness and attain? Why am I here? Like the rest of us, Thomas Nagel, Robert Taylor, and Raymond Martin have each made their own attempts to answer the question of the meaning of life and while doing so, each of the philosophers rendered their own solution to these universal doubts. Thomas Nagel explains that “to convey the absurdity of our lives often has to do with space or time: we are tiny specks in the infinite vastness of the universe; our lives are mere instants even on a geological time scale, let alone a cosmic one; we will all be dead any minute” (Nagel, 768-769). Nagel then defines absurd as “a situation that includes a conspicuous discrepancy between pretension or aspiration and reality (Nagel, 769). Translated, Nagel says that absurd is a situation in which life seems irrational and meaningless. Throughout his entire argument, Nagel hardly leaves room for a rebuttal to yield the answer to the true meaning of our lives. He suggests that we as humans have a special capacity to take a step backwards and observe the lives that we are “committed” to and call them into question. But, as he pointed out; while taking that backwards step we realize that the life that we are so “committed”...
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... No, the conflict revolves around a theology of the cross, a theology that says Jesus’ death is the supreme saving act, and that the equation of guilt, punishment and grace worked out through the execution of the innocent, divine victim in place of a rightly condemned humanity provides the essential sum of Christianity itself. This theology is composed of many elements in scripture and tradition -- references to Jesus’ death as a sacrifice, ideas of redemptive suffering, and a deep tradition of eucharistic remembrance that Jesus died "for us." These elements appear in all branches and eras of Christian tradition. But the organization of them into a complete substitutionary view of the atonement is much less universal, Such a view has never been prominent in the Eastern Christian church, and it was not the dominant view in the Western church for the first half of its history. Many think the rise of atonement theology represented a terrible wrong turn, plunging Christian spirituality into a...
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...– I 2 Measuring Your Desire for Performance Feedback 2 Action Plan 3 • Analysis 3 • Detail Behavior 3 • Resources 4 Summary 4 Self Reflection – II 5 What is your primary conflict-handling intention? 5 Action Plan 6 • Analysis 6 • Detail Behavior 6 • Resources 7 Summary 7 Self Reflection – III 8 Assessing Participation in Group Decision Making 8 Action Plan 9 • Analysis 9 • Detail Behavior 10 • Resources 10 Summary 10 References 11 Self Reflection – I Measuring Your Desire for Performance Feedback According to, the hands-on exercise (Kinicki, 2012, p201), I personally desire high degree of feedback. During this exercise I felt that I am a person who needs time to time motivation and recognition on very significant milestone achieved to gain self-confidence. The positive feedback that I used to receive from my superiors or next level managers always helped me to perform better. Our management used to believe that improving individual performance through goal-setting and providing timely feedback through recognition was an effective way to perform operations. At times, my manager used to provide instructional feedback when I used to handle new task in a project. Feedback depends on an individual perspective. Relating to the exercise I disagree with the fact that I can judge...
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...CHAPTER 2 Normative Theories of Ethics Chapter Summary Points 1. Consequentialist moral theories see the moral rightness or wrongness of actions as a function of their results. If the consequences are sufficiently good, the action is right; if they are sufficiently bad, the action is wrong. However, nonconsequentialist theories see other factors as also relevant to the determination of right and wrong. 2. Egoism is the consequentialist theory that an action is right when it promotes the individual’s best interests. Proponents of this theory base their view on the alleged fact that human beings are, by nature, selfish (the doctrine of psychological egoism). Critics of egoism argue that (a) psychological egoism is implausible, (b) egoism is not really a moral principle, and (c) egoism ignores blatant wrongs. 3. Utilitarianism, another consequentialist theory, maintains that the morally right action is the one that provides the greatest good for all those affected. In an organizational context, utilitarianism provides an objective way to resolve conflicts of self-interest and encourages a realistic and result-oriented approach to moral decision making. But critics contend that (a) utilitarianism is not really workable, (b) some actions are wrong even if they produce good results, and (c) utilitarianism incorrectly overlooks considerations of justice and the distribution of happiness. 4. Kant’s theory is an important example of a purely nonconsequentialist...
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...[TITLE]* [Name of Student]* A thesis submitted to the Department of [Project dept]* National University of Singapore in partial fulfilment for the Degree of Bachelor of Science with Honours in Life Sciences *Please replace with the relevant inputs. Please delete this instruction in red. Cohort AY2012/2013 S1 GUIDELINES ON THESIS WRITING ( LSM4199 (Version V) Order of presentation The order of contents should be as below: Title Page Acknowledgements Table of Contents Abstract Introduction (including Literature Review) Materials & Methods Observations and/or Results Discussion (Results and Discussion can also be combined as one section) [A short section on General Conclusion(s) can also be included] References Appendices (if there is any) Pagination All sections before the Introduction (except the Title Page) should be numbered in Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, etc.) at the bottom centre of the page. All other pages should be numbered with Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) Appendices will not be paginated. Length of Thesis The maximum length of the thesis text is 15,000 words. A length of 100 pages from the Introduction to References is recommended. Please do not ‘pad’ your thesis and reach this suggestion. This is detrimental! Typing The entire thesis must be typed on white A4 paper...
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...SAMPLE CRITICAL REVIEW i) Have a look at the assignment question below ii) Now read the sample review. Read the accompanying comments on the side as you go. Is this is a well written review in your opinion? Critical review task Sherry Turkle, a professor of the Social Studies of Technology, has written extensively about the effects of technology on human relationships. Read Chapter 1 (Connectivity and its discontents) from her book Alone Together: Why we expect more from technology and less from each other. What evidence does Turkle provide for her main argument that technology has served to diminish the quality of our relationships? How persuaded are you by this argument? (1,000 words) Review: Turkle, Sherry (2011). Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. New York: Basic Books (Extract from Chapter 1Connectivity and its discontents) Comment [T1]: At the beginning of a review, you should provide all the BIBLIOGRPAHICAL INFORMATION about the text you are reviewing. The last 20 years have seen a revolution in the way we communicate, all brought about by the quite extraordinary developments that have occurred in the field of information and communications technologies.. There is no doubt that the way people interact with each other nowadays – whether in business, education, in one’s personal life – is drastically different from the way things were done in the not-so-distant pre-digital past. But have these developments...
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...During Dr. Frankes lecture, he focused on two approaches when teaching about the Cold War. The first was the context relative to the first amendment and the second was a break down with the separations of power. He utilized these two approaches to discuss the sorts of things that were currently happening surrounding the Cold War. Dr. Franke stated in his presentation, “drivers are always there—fear, tribalism, bigotry, ambition and demagoguery.” His reasoning for focusing on these methods was to assure that students gain a thorough understanding of the Cold War well using these approach’s. Political Scientist first perspective in regards to the Cold War, assault on the First Amendment, regulating speech, press and association in Democracy....
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...SAMPLE CRITICAL REVIEW i) Have a look at the assignment question below ii) Now read the sample review. Read the accompanying comments on the side as you go. Is this is a well written review in your opinion? Critical review task Sherry Turkle, a professor of the Social Studies of Technology, has written extensively about the effects of technology on human relationships. Read Chapter 1 (Connectivity and its discontents) from her book Alone Together: Why we expect more from technology and less from each other. What evidence does Turkle provide for her main argument that technology has served to diminish the quality of our relationships? How persuaded are you by this argument? (1,000 words) Review: Turkle, Sherry (2011). Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. New York: Basic Books (Extract from Chapter 1Connectivity and its discontents) Comment [T1]: At the beginning of a review, you should provide all the BIBLIOGRPAHICAL INFORMATION about the text you are reviewing. The last 20 years have seen a revolution in the way we communicate, all brought about by the quite extraordinary developments that have occurred in the field of information and communications technologies.. There is no doubt that the way people interact with each other nowadays – whether in business, education, in one’s personal life – is drastically different from the way things were done in the not-so-distant pre-digital past. But have these developments...
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...the close of the Victorian Era, has three specific aims. The first is to create or to encourage in every student the desire to read the best books, and to know literature itself rather than what has been written about literature. The second is to interpret literature both personally and historically, that is, to show how a great book generally reflects not only the author's life and thought but also the spirit of the age and the ideals of the nation's history. The third aim is to show, by a study of each successive period, how our literature has steadily developed from its first simple songs and stories to its present complexity in prose and poetry. To carry out these aims we have introduced the following features: (1) A brief, accurate summary of historical events and social conditions in each period, and a consideration of the ideals which stirred the whole nation, as in the days of Elizabeth, before they found expression in literature. (2) A study of the various literary epochs in turn, showing what each gained from the epoch preceding, and how each aided in the development of a national literature. (3) A readable biography of every important writer, showing how he lived and worked, how he met success or failure, how he influenced his age, and how his age influenced him. (4) A study and analysis of every author's best works, and of many of the books required for college-entrance examinations. (5)...
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...AS Religious Studies [pic] PHILOSOPHY & ETHICS Revision Summary Notes Revision Notes Foundation for the Study of Religion Part One: Philosophy of Religion Plato and the Forms Influence of Socrates • Socrates said that virtue is knowledge – to know what is right is to do what is right. • All wrongdoing is the result of ignorance – nobody chooses to do wrong deliberately. • Therefore, to be moral you must have true knowledge. The problem of the One and the Many Plato was trying to find a solution to the problem that although there is underlying stability in the world (sun comes up every morning), it is constantly changing (you never step into the same river twice). 1. An old theory about this problem is that we gain all knowledge from our senses – empirically. 2. Plato disagreed with this. He said that because the world is constantly changing, our senses cannot be trusted. Plato illustrated his idea in the dialogue, ‘Meno’: Socrates sets a slave boy a mathematical problem. The slave boy knows the answer, yet he has not been taught maths. Plato suggests that the slave boy remembers the answer to the problem, which has been in his mind all along. So, according to Plato, we don't learn new things, we remember them. In other words, knowledge is innate. Plato’s Theory of the Forms Plato believed that the world was divided into: 1. Reality and; 2. Appearance |REALITY ...
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