Critical Thinking Papers: You will write two critical thinking papers for this class, each of which is to be 3-4 pages long. Your papers must be typed (NO exceptions!) with margins of no more than 1". Your critical thinking papers will be based on articles that originally appeared in the New York Times and are contained in Coat's (2000) book Contemporary Readings in Psychology. Each article in the book is followed by 5 questions that are intended to make you think critically about the article that you just read. Your papers will consist of your thoughtful and carefully reasoned answers. Your answers to each of the five questions will be graded on a 2-point scale: 2.0 = Excellent (a model of good critical thinking and communication), 1.5 = Good (a few minor defects), 1.0 = Mediocre (not good, not bad), 0.5 = Poor (some serious defects) and 0.0 = Terrible (an example of how not to think and communicate). Thus, you can earn as many as 10 points (5 x 2 = 10) on each paper and, thus, 20 points on both papers.
The first paper must be based on a reading from Section I (Neurobiology of Human Behavior) or Section II (Cognition and Consciousness) of the Coat book and will be due in your discussion section the week of October 1st. The second paper must be based on a reading from Section III (Developmental Questions), Section IV (Personality and Social Behavior) or Section V (Psychopathology and Its Treatment). The second paper will be due in your discussion section during the week of November 26th. No late papers will be accepted.
n Formatting
· Provide a cover sheet with your name, your section time and day, and the number of the reading your paper is based on, as well as your both your PEC number and the page number in the heading area on every page of your paper. Do not put your name on any page except the cover sheet -- this prevents grading bias
· Use a 12-point font. The Teaching Assistants prefer Times New Roman.
· Use double-spacing
· Print on only one side of each page
· Make sure your margins are at least 1" wide on all four sides of the page
· Type the number of the question in boldface, skip a line and type your answer in a non-bold, non-italic font
· Indent paragraphs
· Skip a line after your answer to each question but not between paragraphs within an answer
· Your answers must consist of complete sentences. Do not give one- or two-word answers. (Remember, this is a WRITING assignment.)
· You should answer all five questions from ONE of the assigned readings
n Avoid Grammatical Errors
· Make sure that the number of people who serve as the subject in a sentence stays consistent within the sentence. Person is a singular noun and requires a singular possessive, i.e., his or her. People is a collective noun and requires a collective possessive, i. e., their.
· Keep tense constant (everything in either the past, present or future)
· Avoid run-on sentences
· Use words you know; avoid (or look up) words you don't know
· Ask your TA or the writing center to go over rough drafts
n Avoid Plagiarizing (Plagiarism will result in a failing grade on the paper)
· When you get information that is from a published source (e.g., the Coat's book, the textbook, or a journal), provide a reference in the following format: Paraphrased idea (Author, year of publication).
· Because we know that your answers are coming out of the reading, it is not necessary to reference every idea you take from the reading. Use your judgment, if what you write is simply paraphrasing what is said in the article - provide the correct reference
· Know when to use quotes
· Don't forget to explain any quotes that you use
· If you are providing a reference for a direct quote, use the following format: "Quoted idea" (p. xx, Author, year of publication).
· Do not paraphrase the answers of any of your classmates. Although you may study together, you MUST write your own papers.
Miscellaneous
· Your paper cannot consist solely of quotes
· No late papers will be accepted
· Don't add extraneous information if all you are doing is trying to make your paper longer
· When you are finished composing your answers, read them over and after you read each one, ask yourself if someone other than yourself would understand what you meant
· Studies do not "prove" anything, they only provide support for a theory or hypothesis
· If you do not understand a question associated with one of the readings, see your TA and ask him or her about it
· Err on the side of being more rather than less specific in your answers
Web page created by Jordan Lippman on 02/19/2002
Contact Jordan with questions: jlippman@uic.edu