Reading Response

THE ATTACHED ITEMS NEED TO BE READ… Below are instructions

A Response to a Reading Paper assignment will be required of students. A topic will be assigned, and posted on Blackboard Course Material Section. Students will write a response of a minimum of 1,000 – 1,250 words (4-5 double spaced pages). The Response to Reading Paper MUST follow the guideline found at the end of the syllabus (Appendix A), including a Word Count entry at the end of the paper. The Response to a Reading Paper will count for 25 points of the final grade.

Here is an example from the syllabus:

RESPONDING TO A REQUIRED READING
1,000 -1,250 WORDS
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY NEW ORLEANS – OWLS WRITING EXAMPLE
GUIDELINES: RESPONDING TO A READING
Summary, Reflection, Analysis, and Argument
SUMMARY WHAT DOES THE WRITER SAY?
The summary response to a reading—an article, a chapter, or a book—relates as clearly as possible
what the author says. When you write a summary, you strive for objectivity and accuracy as you relate
the main ideas of the original. A summary omits details and examples that are not needed to convey
the “gist” of the original, and it does not include any ideas not found in the original. It is written
entirely in your own words, with few, if any, direction quotations, and using present tense. A summary
does not analyze, evaluate, or argue a position; it simply restates the original material in a much more
condensed form.
REFLECTION HOW DOES THE WORK RELATE TO YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES?
This kind of response explains your personal reaction to the work. When you write a reflective
response, you explore how the work relates to your own experiences, beliefs, and values. Is the
writer’s claim validated by any of your own experiences? Did the reading confirm, challenge, or
change in any way your original viewpoint on the topic? Because the reflective response often
involves discussion of your own experiences, beliefs, and values in relation to what you read, this
response is usually written in the first person.
ANALYSIS WHAT DOES THE WRITER DO?
Another kind of response to a reading is a critical response. Critical analysis examines how the author
says what he/she says. When you write a critical analysis, you examine the various elements of the
work to discover how they function together to form an effective whole. The elements you examine
depend upon your specific purpose for analysis. For example, an analysis of an argument might look
at the argument’s claims and reasons, supporting information (evidence), and logic. An analysis of a
short story might focus on how the setting relates to the story’s meaning.

An analysis includes only as much summary of the work as is needed for a reader to follow the
analysis and understand how it relates to the original argument. The analytical response avoids
personal reflection on an agreement or disagreement with the ideas.
Often, critical analysis also evaluates the work, making judgments about how well it fulfills its purpose.
In that case, your analysis would support a judgment about the overall effectiveness of the work, such
as the credibility and persuasiveness of an argument: Is the thesis built on reasonable and valid claims
and reasons? Are these claims supported with convincing supporting information and sound
reasoning? Is its argument persuasive?
ARGUMENT WHAT IS YOUR POSITION ON THE TOPIC OR ISSUE?
This kind of response asserts a position on the topic, supported with reasons and evidence. When
you write an argumentative response, you explain why you agree or disagree, in whole or in part,
with the writer’s claims and ideas. You may agree with the claim by elaborating upon the main
points of the argument with original support (your own ideas and evidence), or you may disagree
with the claim by challenging and questioning those points.

WORD COUNT