Assignment 1: Critical Reflection Paper
Weight: 10% of your final course grade
Suggested Due Date: At the end of Unit 2
Length: 700–750 words
Instructions
Pick three readings from Units 1 and 2 and prepare a 700–750 word paper in which you react to them from your own perspective. A personal reflection requires critically thinking about what you have read / viewed by assessing the merit of the information presented. For example, ask yourself: What persuades me to agree / disagree with the author’s assertions or conclusions? What specifically changed my thinking (or reinforced my understanding) about the issue? What personal implications do I draw from these readings? What is missing from the analysis the authors make?
Please follow these guidelines:
- The three readings you choose can all be from Unit 1, all from Unit 2, or a combination of both units. Indicate in your paper which readings you are reflecting on.
- Use the themes and concepts from Units 1 and 2 for your paper.
- Don’t summarize the readings. Your audience knows the readings, so a summary is not necessary. Focus on your analysis and not on summarizing the texts.
- This is not an opinion paper. Please provide specific evidence for an idea you are defending / opposing.
- Citations are required. If you are using someone else’s ideas or words, you MUST cite your source properly. Whether you are paraphrasing or quoting someone’s words, you need to indicate the author in the text and in the reference section at the end of the paper.
For more information on how to write a Reflection Paper, review the Write Site’s information about Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing , particularly the “Writing a Critical Response” document. For information on how to cite correctly, these Resources provided by the Write Site—particularly, The Basics of Documentation.
