Valencia College The Task Ahead For Biden on Climate Editorial Evaluation Paper

I’m working on a history project and need a reference to help me study.

Reasons for Critical Thinking Evaluations of Editorials

In this course it is expected that you will improve your ability to think critically about socio-political issues. To that end, you will be asked to do two critical thinking evaluations of editorials. Doing these evaluations should improve your ability to research, write and think critically about political issues.

I will provide you with a rubric that will tell you exactly how these evaluations will be graded, but I would like to tell you generally what I expect first.

Try to practice the attributes of critical thinking in your evaluations. Do not assume that the “facts” that others write are true and do not present them as such. In particular, if an author cites a number you should report that number as coming from the author, not as fact. State your opinions as opinions, not as facts. Try to be aware of your biases and those of others. Don’t be afraid of coming to conclusions that aren’t popular or that you think the teacher might not like. Finally, try to be aware of how you are coming to your conclusions—watch your thinking process.

In the academia we value evidence-based thinking. Most people have opinions on controversial topics. Educated people take special care to base their opinions on careful, extensive research that seeks out different viewpoints.

What follows below is a process that one can follow to critically evaluate any political position or editorial. If you follow this process you will be practicing critical thinking.

Steps to Follow

When you submit your evaluations please letter each part as indicated below.

A. Identify the major point(s) of the editorial.

B. Summarize clearly the logic or reasons presented in support of the major point(s).

C. Identify the major assumptions that underlie the logic or reasons supporting the major points.

D. Analyze/evaluate (your opinion) the assumptions and the reasoning underlying the major points.

E. Discuss questions that you think still need to be addressed for you to have a better understanding of the issues involved.

F. Works Cited: List the sites that you accessed in your research and used in your evaluation (at least three). You should use MLA form.