Entering Academic Conversations Part II

Evaluating Critical Arguments Does the author present adequate support for the claim? Is the author’s reasoning contradictory or circular? What questions does the text raise for you? What questions are left unanswered? What do you wish the author had discussed that he or she did not?

Introducing Your Critical Perspective In response to another’s claim, your own might be the following: Yes, I agree because … No, I disagree because … Okay, but…

Ways to Disagree By focusing on ____________, X overlooks the deeper problem of _________ X’s claim that ________ rests upon the questionable assumption that _______ By ignoring ________, X’s interpretation fails to consider ____________

Ways to Agree X’s claim offers a useful framework for the study of __________ by suggesting ________. By doing ____________, X’s interpretation usefully responds to the previous gap in research on _____________. X’s claim of _______ likewise illuminates other passages of the text, such as _____.

Offering a Mixed Response Though I concede that __________, I still insist that _____________. While X importantly argues ________, her/his point does not fully explain ________.