Quantitative Review of an Article
For this assignment, students will select one academic article out of five designated articles which are also assigned readings for the course. Students will read selected article critically and write a review of the article. This review essay should contain two components: (1) the assessment of the author's main argument or thesis statement by reviewing how the author(s) uses both qualitative and quantitative evidences in the articles; and (2) the assessment of the use, misuse, and missed-use of quantitative evidences and the assumptions behind the numbers.
- to introduce quantitative critical thinking in reading.
- to learn how to write with quantitative evidences by learning by doing (in this case is doing quantitative analytical review of an academic article).
- to prepare for the main assignment of this course which requires understanding and the use of quantitative evidences and critical thinking in writing.
Context for Use
Description and Teaching Materials
Brian Walker and David Salt, Resilience Thinking: Sustaining Ecosystems and People in a Changing World, Island Press, 2006.
Andrew E. Dessler and Edward A. Parson, The Science and Politics of Global Climate Change: A guide to the debate, Cambridge University Press, 2006 and 2008.