Problem
Critical Reading: Scholarly Article Critique
What: Using Google Scholar, find a scholarly article on your topic and load it into Kami for reading and annotation. Your annotations should include ideas or insights you have while readings, questions that come up for you, as well as notes about the article's usefulness for your research and connections to other arguments you've analyzed.
In a 1 to 2 pages reflection, provide a citation for your article, paraphrase the findings of the study, identify the central argument, and explain whether you think the argument is effective. Consider these guiding questions: How do you know this is a scholarly article? Did you have to read in great detail to understand the study's findings? What became more clear to you once you read each section of the article in detail? What parts of the argument do you think are (or are not) effective and why?
Why: We've been practicing critical reading quite a bit in this course. Why? Because this class is as much about thinking as it is about writing. As you start to understand how arguments are formed, how scholars engage with conversation with each other, you will develop skills for incorporating others' ideas as evidence for your own arguments. It's important to continue practicing this skill as you get used to reading scholarly articles; the more you are exposed to this type of writing, the easier it will become for you to understand. Remember that a goal of this class is for you to develop your skills around articulating your ideas in the context of others' ideas. This assignment will help you practice reading carefully while making notes for yourself and your future research.