REACTION PAPER
POL 3546.2 WINTER 2018
A Reaction Paper provides a close and careful review and assessment of one week’s required readings. It is NOT an essay, and it is MORE than simply a text summary, in that you are to develop your own analysis and evaluation of the readings in question, and how they deal with the topics at hand. Consider: the readings’ strengths and weaknesses; the main arguments; the issues, themes, controversies at stake; the evidence provided; as well as how the readings for that week interconnect and where they diverge. Feel free to draw on additional sources and incorporate other pertinent readings to support your analyses.
The goal is to develop and build students’ analyses of the readings as the course proceeds. Thus, the purpose of this exercise is not only to ensure that students are reading and following the required materials (in lieu of a final examination), but also to provide an opportunity for students to hone their critical analytical, skills.
Each reaction paper will be 2 ½-3 page (typed and double-spaced).
You are required to write TWO reaction papers. Each is worth 10% (X 2= 20% of your final grade.)
- Your first reaction paper is due on January 23, and will be an assessment of the January 23rd
- You will then sign up for the due date of your second reaction paper. Once you have committed to a date, there will be no extensions or changes. Your options are to sign up for one of the following dates: 30; Feb. 6; Mar. 6, 13, 20, 27.
- Each reaction paper must be handed in to the professor BEFORE the class on the readings in question (reaction papers will not be accepted during, or after, the class).
- You cannot submit a reaction paper for the week of your presentation (i.e., no reaction papers on your presentation topic).
Style: Write in full complete sentence. Watch for correct grammar and punctuation. Proofread your work. When necessary, provide direct quotations and include citations, to support your claims.
TIPS: Do not leave this assignment to the last minute:
it requires organization, thought and effort!
TIPS con’t
Experimentation and creativity are encouraged; therefore, it is difficult to specify the exact form the Reaction Paper should take. However, here are some pointers:
- a) be sure to cover all of the required readings for that week; however, it is not necessary to deal with each reading in the same amount of detail, i.e., you may focus on one reading more than another if you find one reading particularly engaging and/or problematic. Be thorough, but also concise and perceptive.
- b) be clear about the subject matter and the central argument(s) in each reading; succinctly articulate the authors’ main intentions and contentions.
- c) try to identify a theme or key themes, or develop your own distinctive angle, as a way of linking the various articles read for that week
- d) consider how readings relate to each and how they connect to the issues / themes raised for that week’s class.
To get you started, consider the following questions:
- What is the topic of the reading?
- What are the key issues, debates, areas of contention examined in the reading?
- What evidence is provided?
- What are its strengths, e.g., what parts did you find most convincing, interesting, inspiring?
- What are its weaknesses, e.g., what parts were not convincing, unpersuasive, frustrating?
- How do the all readings for this week fit with one another?
- How do the readings correspond to other readings for the class, and/or course themes and/or prior class discussions?
- What questions / problems do they raise?
- Do the issues examined in the readings relate to your other academic studies, work experiences, public debates etc.?
Above all: have fun with your Reaction Paper!
*Steve Patten, “The Evolution of the Canadian Party System: From Brokerage to Marketing-Oriented Politics,” Chapter 1 in Gagnon & Tanguay.
*James Bickerton, “Parties and Regions: Representation and Resistance,” Chapter 3 in Gagnon & Tanguay.
*Brooke Jeffrey, “The Liberal Party of Canada: Rebuilding, Resurgence, and Return to Power,” Chapter 7 in Gagnon & Tanguay.
*Jon H. Pammett & Lawrence LeDuc, “The Fall of the Harper Dynasty,” Chapter 14 in Pammett & Dornan.
