As a peer reader, your main responsibilities are:
§
to give the writer an idea of how his/her introduction and
thesis statement worked in fulfilling his or her purposes (it leads up to what
he/she has planned for the rest of the paper)
§
to give the writer an idea of how his/her introduction and
thesis statement worked in fulfilling the requirements of this assignment (it
provides a precise, clear, and debatable argument about a
novel)
Directions:
1.
Read your partner’s introduction and thesis statement. DO
NOT look at your partner’s outline at this point.
2.
In the space below, write down something positive about your
partner’s introduction and thesis statement—something that you found particularly
interesting, impressive, or helpful.
3.
Now look specifically at your partner’s thesis statement.
Is the thesis statement specific to the text? Is it
something the writer only could have written after reading the novel at
hand? In other words, you couldn’t just substitute the novel’s name in the
thesis statement for another novel’s name and still have something that makes
sense.
Yes No I’m not sure
If the thesis statement is on a topic similar to
something that Prof. Mott lectured on, does it seem sufficiently different
enough from his assertions so that the writer is making a new argument
and not just regurgitating what was said in class?
Yes No I’m
not sure N/A
Is the thesis statement debatable? Yes No I’m not sure
If you answered “Yes” or “I’m not sure,” briefly use the
space below to try to write down what the opposite argument would look like. If
you answered “No,” use the space below to explain why:
Does the thesis statement have something at stake
that relates to understanding the novel as a whole and a position the novel
might be taking on a specific issue (i.e. it refers to what the novel as a
whole might be doing and is not just a description or analysis of a single
character or set of characters)?
Yes No I’m not sure
Does the thesis statement seem like something that could be
proved in four pages?
Yes Too
big Too
small I’m not sure
If you answered “Too big” or “Too small” explain what specifically
seems too big or too small about it:
4.
Does your partner define all his/her terms (including those
used by Prof. Mott in lecture)? Are there any definitions that seemed unclear
to you that you think should be clarified? Are there any terms that he/she does
not define that you think he/she could? If so, write them down here:
5.
On your partner’s paper, underline any sentences that seem
unclear to you and circle any sentences that you think don’t belong in the
introductory paragraph and should be taken out or moved elsewhere. In the space
below, write any general comments, suggestions or questions that you have about
the introduction as a whole.
6.
Now look at your partner’s outline. Does he/she develop his/her argument in the
outline by way of analysis? In other
words, does the writer plan to have each part of the paper build upon the
previous part (i.e. he/she does not simply restate the same thing over and over
again using different examples)? Does
the writer plan to use detailed evidence from the text rather than description?
Comment below.
7.
When you are both done, trade forms with your partner
and ask your partner to clarify anything that he/she wrote that you do not
understand. Talk about what each of you
plans to do to individually revise your introductions, thesis statements, and
outlines. Write down your plans below.
Where do we go from here?
Often, it is easier to critique other people’s work rather
than our own. However, you
should be asking yourself these critical questions constantly during your own
thinking, writing, and revising processes. As you write your paper, you might find yourself needing to
revise your introduction and thesis statement so that it goes with what you end
up arguing. If you would like me to
look at your work during office hours next week, please feel free to bring it
in or make an appointment. However, I will only look at it if you have made
revisions that take into account the critique from your partner beforehand.
Make sure to bring this with you if you come see me.