Ass?ssment 1 – Criti?al Analysis
Linked t? CLO 2-4
Word length – 2000 words ??
Due Date – 18th August 2017
Weight – 40% ? ??
There are very few, if any issues in our society that are not controversial in some way. On this basis it is important that you are able to identify and engage with the arguments put forward within a given debate, whether it is about climate change, family breakdown or the supposed deviance of young people.
You will be given a written piece (available on the learning hub), which makes an argument in relation to contemporary public policy. You job is to determine the credibility of the piece in regard to the claims made, the evidence/reasoning provided and the assumptions that the argument is founded on. You should also try to identify and logical fallacies that may impact on the veracity of the argument being presented.
To complete this task you must first identify the component parts of an author’s argument – the claims they make (noting what kind of claim they are), the evidence they use to support their claims and the assumptions that they rely on in advocating a particular position. ??
Identifying the key parts of an argument is the first step in being able to understand an author’s position on a controversial issue or topic. The next step is to evaluate the credibility of the arguments put forward by the author. To do this you will have to identify both the strengths and weaknesses of the argument. In this regard, your crucial analysis should address a number of key questions about the author’s/s’ contributions to the debate: ? ?
What claims do the author(s) they make (and what kind of claim are they)? ??
What evidence is used to support these claims? ??
Does the evidence provided by the author match the claims they make? ??
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence the author provides in support of their key claims? ??
What assumptions does the author(s) rely on in advocating a particular position. ??
Are these assumptions reasonable? ???
Assessment Criteria
Your paper will be assessed on the extent to which you have:
Accurately identified the key claims made by the author(s) and what kinds of claims they were (5%);
Accurately identified the key evidence/reasoning used to support the claims (5%);
Correctly identified key assumptions the author made with the argument as presented (5%);
Identified both the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence and assumption presented by the author and from this assessed the overall credibility of the argument (15%).
Demonstrated clear written expression (attention to spelling and grammar) with well-structured sentences and paragraphs (5%).
Organised the content of your answer so that your paper flowed well from one point/paragraph to the next (5%).
