ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

MODULE 2 | Writing Academic Papers

MODULE 2 Writing the Reaction Paper/Review/Critique

Lesson 2.1 The Writing Process

This lesson discusses the process of writing. It will help the learners appreciate the
important roles that planning plays in the writing process. Moreover, they will also understand the
interchangeable phases of writing from drafting to revising and editing until its publication.

At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to:

• Apply the principles of writing effectively; and
• Apply the writing process correctly.

What is the meaning of the writing process?

The writing process refers to the series of steps and activities that the writers go through
or follow to produce a piece of good and effective written work. The writing process is a
systematic way of creating meaningful content and also helps to enhance the effectiveness of
content and make it valid and reliable.

Writing is a recursive process. There does not exist any single unique process of writing nor there
is any ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way of writing. However, the followings are the commonly used steps of the
writing process:

1. Pre-writing stage
The word “pre-writing” is a combination of the words "pre" and “writing”, which
means planning and getting ideas in order before writing the first draft. It is a crucial step
that helps to lay the foundation for a coherent and well-structured piece of writing.
Prewriting refers to the initial phase of the writing process in which a writer is influenced
by various strategies and activities to generate ideas, gather information, and plan the
organization of their writing. Here are the main key points of the prewriting stage
including:
a. Brainstorming: Generating ideas and concepts related to the topic or purpose of your
writing.
1. Listing/bullet – this is the simplest brainstorming version, jot down
ideas as they come using words or short phrases.
2. Freewriting – a technique in which the author writes their thoughts
quickly and continuously, without worrying about form, style, or
even grammar.
3. Mind mapping - is a brainstorming technique that can be used to
organize thoughts and ideas. The basic structure of a mind map is
a central idea, with branches radiating out from the center. Each
branch can then be further divided into smaller branches, creating
a hierarchical structure.
4. Cubing - this technique looks at the topic from six different points
of view, just as a cube has six sides.

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a. Describe it: what is it?

b. Compare it: what is it like/unlike?
c. Associate it: what does it make you think of?
d. Analyze it: what parts make it up?
e. Apply it: how do you use it?
f. Argue it: how are you in favor of it or agree with it? How do
you oppose it or disagree with it?

b. Research: Gather information, facts, and supporting material from reliable resources
to enhance your understanding.

2. Planning Stage
After brainstorming and gathering information, the next stage or step is to plan
how to write and how to structure the data. The authors concentrate upon explaining and
supporting their ideas by creating thesis statement and topic sentences. The following
points briefly define the planning stage in the writing process.

a. Outline - organize ideas and research into structured outlines or plans. It arranges
arguments, key points, and data in logical order.
b. Thesis Statement - generate a thesis statement based on the knowledge that is most
reliable to the investigating problem.

3. Drafting Stage
After completing the logical order of a writing piece, the next stage is to write a
first draft without any hesitation or fear. This stage does not need to pay too much
attention to grammar or other correctness. In this stage, a writer can write freely.

a. Write freely - begin writing the first draft and just focus on putting words in the piece
without worrying too much about perfection.

4. Revising stage
Revising is the next stage after drafting. In drafting, writers can use the words
without worrying too much about grammar. This time, this stage is set to rearrange words,
sentences, paragraphs, to take out odd parts, replace overused or unclear words or add
transitions to make writing precise, concise, and accurate as possible. Also, writers need
to check the connections between ideas to know whether they are clear. It is better to read
out the writing aloud to confirm if it flows smoothly. The points below define it clearly.

a. Review and revise - read the first draft critically to improve its quality, clarity,
coherence, and organization. Add, remove, or rephrase the sentences and
paragraphs to enhance the overall flow.
b. Chunk the consistency - chunk the ideas that are consistent and well-
supported by the thesis statement throughout the piece.

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5. Editing stage
In this stage, writers can edit the piece for some more additions and correctness.
In this stage of the writing process, more errors in grammar and other language
mechanics can be found. Also, changing of words that are not used correctly or need
clarity must be observed. Fulwiller (2002) suggests the following for editing:

a. Replace vague abstract nouns with specific concrete nouns.

b. Replace stative verbs with action verbs.
c. Add modifiers for detail but delete them if they distract from your main point.
d. Write in the rhythm of natural speech unless you have a good reason for doing
otherwise. (To check, read aloud.)
e. Begin sentences with old information, end with new. This strategy makes the
end of your sentences stronger.
f. Make sure all words in your sentences contribute to the meaning you intend; if
not, delete them.
g. Eliminate all clichés.
h. Make passive constructions active.
i. Delete or rephrase all stereotypes.
j. Proofread by computer spell check and also line-by-line with your intelligent
eye

6. Proofreading and Publication

Proofreading is the stage in which writers can review the writing piece for final
checks and ensure that it has no errors in its overall flow. Prepare the final version for
publication to ensure that the writing piece meets all the required formats and submission
guidelines. After publication, share the writing with the intended audience, whether
through publication, presentation, or distribution.

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Lesson 2.2 Approaches in Literary Criticism

In this lesson, learners will start to do critical reading and write their understanding and
reaction to what they are reading. This will help them appreciate the texts they are reading and
will also develop their critical thinking skills.

At the end of this lesson, the students are expected to:

• Differentiate the different approaches in literary criticism; and
• Express ideas in appropriate language and manner.

When you express your views, it is also important to use appropriate language for a specific
discipline. There are terms that you should prefer to put in your writing depending on the field or
context you are in.

For example, if you are to convince people who are experts in the field of Science and
Mathematics, you need to use their language. Here are examples of terms that you can use in the
following disciplines:

Science Mathematics General Terms

Experiments Equation Test
Lab equipment Statistical tool materials
Invention Solution Action
Laboratory test Result Pregnancy Test
Hormones and Genes Equivalent Values Family

You should be formal and use technical terms that are familiar to them. However, if your
audience is the general public, you also need to use the language they know. Do not use those
that are not common to them. Avoid jargons or technical words and slang or invented words. You
can be informal when necessary. However, you must never forget to be POLITE to avoid having
future problems.

Learning appropriate language and manner is not enough in expressing your views.
There are critical approaches that you can use to make it more convincing and appropriate.

Read about the critical approaches. You can highlight some important ideas. You can
use these in expressing your views.

1. Formalist Criticism – this approach regards literature as “a unique form of human

knowledge that needs to be examined on its own terms.” All the elements necessary for
understanding the work are contained within the work itself. Of particular interest to the
formalist critic are the elements of form—style, structure, tone, imagery, etc.— that are
found within the text. A primary goal for formalist critics is to determine how such
elements work together with the text’s content to shape its effects upon readers.

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2. Gender Criticism – this approach “examines how sexual identity influences the creation and
reception of literary works.” Originally an offshoot of feminist movements, gender criticism
today includes a number of approaches, including the so-called “masculinist” approach
recently advocated by poet Robert Bly. The bulk of gender criticism, however, is feminist
and takes as a central precept that the patriarchal attitudes that have dominated Western
thought have resulted, consciously or unconsciously, in literature “full of unexamined
‘male-produced’ assumptions.” Feminist criticism attempts to correct this imbalance by
analyzing and combatting such attitudes—by questioning, for example, why none of the
characters in Shakespeare’s play Othello ever challenge the right of a husband to murder
a wife accused of adultery. Other goals of feminist critics include “analyzing how sexual
identity influences the reader of a text” and “examining how the images of men and women
in imaginative literature reflect or reject the social forces that have historically kept the sexes
from achieving total equality.”

3. Historical Criticism – this approach “seeks to understand a literary work by investigating

the social, cultural, and intellectual context that produced it—a context that necessarily
includes the artist’s biography and milieu.” A key goal for historical critics is to understand
the effect of a literary work upon its original readers.

4. Reader-Response Criticism – this approach takes as a fundamental tenet that “literature”

exists not as an artifact upon a printed page but as a transaction between the physical
text and the mind of a reader. It attempts “to describe what happens in the reader’s mind
while interpreting a text” and reflects that reading, like writing, is a creative process.

5. Media Criticism – it is the act of closely examining and judging the media. When we
examine the media and various media stories, we often find instances of media bias.
Media bias is the perception that the media is reporting the news in a partial or prejudiced
manner. Media bias occurs when the media seems to push a specific viewpoint, rather
than reporting the news objectively. Keep in mind that media bias also occurs when the
media seems to ignore an important aspect of the story. This is the case in the news story
about the puppies.

6. Marxist Criticism – it focuses on the economic and political elements of art, often
emphasizing the ideological content of literature; because Marxist criticism often argues
that all art is political, either challenging or endorsing (by silence) the status quo, it is
frequently evaluative and judgmental, a tendency that “can lead to reductive judgment, as
when Soviet critics rated Jack London better than William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, Edith
Wharton, and Henry James, because he illustrated the principles of class struggle more
clearly.” Nonetheless, Marxist criticism “can illuminate political and economic dimensions
of literature other approaches overlook.”

7. Structuralism – it focused on how human behavior is determined by social, cultural and

psychological structures. It tended to offer a single unified approach to human life that
would embrace all disciplines. The essence of structuralism is the belief that “things
cannot be understood in isolation, they have to be seen in the context of larger structures

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which contain them. For example, the structuralist analysis of Donne’s poem, Good
Morrow, demands more focus on the relevant genre, the concept of courtly love, rather
than on the close reading of the formal elements of the text.

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Lesson 2.3 Writing the Reaction Paper/Review/Critique

In this lesson, students will learn what a reaction paper is and write their reaction paper.

At the end of this lesson, the students are expected to:

• Applies the principles of writing effective reviews and critiques; and
• Writes an objective/balanced review or critique of a work of art, an event or a program.

Reaction Paper is a form of paper writing in which the writer expresses his ideas and
opinions about what has been read or seen. Reaction paper is evaluated due to the writer's
communication skills and only then due the unique ideas and the content. This paper writing may
be informal, two pages long. As all essays, a reaction paper comprises introduction, body, and
conclusion.

In introduction the writers states the main premise, in a body he expresses his ideas and
in conclusion summarizes the results. The reaction paper is not a summary of the article although
information should be included.

You may be asked to write a reaction paper indirectly, and you have to get the intention
of the examiner fast. A good example is that you may be asked to give a critique about a certain
subject, and this would constitute a reaction paper, or to write a review about a literature book; it
also falls into the same group.

Despite the fact that you are writing about your reactions, thoughts and impressions, you
still need to follow an appropriate structure. So make sure to:

• Read the material carefully. Whether it is a book, article, or a film, make sure to read
or watch it very carefully. Sometimes, you will need to repeat this procedure for a
couple of times.
• Mark interesting places while reading/watching. This will help you focus on the
aspects that impressed you the most and come back to them after you are done with
reading or watching.
• Write down your thoughts while reading/watching. Doing so, you won’t forget any
important ideas that came to your head.
• Come up with a thesis statement. Use your notes to formulate a central idea you will
develop in your further work. Then put it in one sentence and make it your thesis
statement.
• Compose an outline. Every time you write an academic paper, you need to make an
outline. Try at least once and you will see how helpful an outline could be!
• Construct your paper. Only when all the preparations are done, start writing a paper
itself.

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Parts of a Review/Critique Paper

Depending on the source you are critiquing, your critique may not follow this exact format below.
However, in general, critiques will be formatted in a similar way.

I. Introduction
Give a summary of the source you are critiquing. Do not spend too much time on
your summary, but give enough information so that a reader who is unfamiliar with your
source will know what your source is about.

Include information such as:

• The name of the source or event

• What kind of source it is (book, film, lecture, etc.)
• The name of the author or the speaker
• The author or speaker's experience/expertise on the topic
• The main argument in the source (or the thesis statement of the source)
• The intended (target) audience for the source or event
• The purpose of the source or the event

II. Body
Give your evaluation of the source. Using specific examples from the source, you
might consider talking about the following points. Keep in mind, depending on the source
you are critiquing, some points may be more relevant than others.

• Did the author/speaker well-support their thesis statement?

• Did the author use any interest supports (stories, humor, examples, interactions,
personal experience, etc.). Were they effective?
• What kind of evidence did the author/speaker use in the source (statistics, facts,
quotations, surveys, studies, interviews, expert opinions). Are these resources
credible/reliable? Did the evidence add to or contradict the author/speaker's
argument?
• Did the source have quality content (avoiding fillers, presented newsworthy
information, kept audiences interested)?
• Did the source use any visual aids (PowerPoint, images, artwork, etc.). Did the
visual aids match or enhance what the author/speaker was discussing? Were the
visual aids clearly organized, spell-checked, and included citations?
• Did the speaker move well through different topics?
• If the source was a live event or a recording, was the speaker energetic? Did they
talk to the crowd or did they look at their notes too much? Were you able to hear
and understand the speaker?
• If you are critiquing a film, were the film techniques used effective?

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III. Conclusion/Recommendation
• Close out your critique with some of your final thoughts.
• What was your overall impression of the source?
• Would you recommend this source to others? Why or why not?
• What are your final thoughts about the source?

Example of review/critique paper:

Miracle in Cell No. 7

A mentally handicapped single father is wrongly accused, tried and sentenced to death
for the rape-murder of an elementary school girl in Lee Hwan- kyung’s Miracle in Cell No. 7. The
miracle of the title is the series of meetings the man has with his daughter while in prison in the
months that lead up to his execution and the friendship she forges with his fellow inmates. Years
later, the girl grows into a woman set on exonerating her dad with their help. Oh, this is a comedy.

But then there’s the melodramatic, tragic aspect of the film that gives it its jarring tone.
The prison scenes are told in flashback as an adult Ye-sung (Park Shin-hye) addresses a court in
an attempt to prove her father’s innocence. Her biggest ally in the quest is Jang Min-hwan (Jeong
Jin-young), warden at the time of Yong-gu’s detention. In 1997 Jang is a grieving father whose
experience and gut instinct tell him Yong-gu may be innocent. He does his part by looking the
other way when Ye-sung sneaks in and by raising the little girl later on. He also digs around police
records and uncovers a pattern of political prosecution, police ineptitude and corruption that
supports their claims. And Lee has a penchant for heavy-handed imagery (the hot air balloon that
gets snagged on barbed wire) and histrionics (walking the green mile) that could bear judicious
editing.

It is this odd mix of broad comedy and issue-based drama that makes Miracle so
perplexing and logic-defying. It’s hard to tell if Lee has made a social drama (legal shortcomings
and cronyism make headlines in Korea) disguised as a goofy comedy or a comedy with an
undercurrent of righteous anger. Either way, the film wouldn't work at all if it wasn’t packed with
engaging performances by some of Korea’s most reliable second-stringers. Ryu (War of the
Arrows) waffles between caricature and affecting as the handicapped Yong-gu, and Gal
occasionally suffers an overabundance of cute (though she’s far more interesting than Park), but
the rest of the cast more than compensate for their shortcomings, particularly Oh (The Thieves)
and Jeong (The King and the Clown). Miracle in Cell No. 7 is one of those films you don’t want to,
one you know you shouldn’t, but you just can’t help liking.

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References:

7 Brainstorming techniques for writers. (n.d.). Nonprofit Copywriter.

https://www.nonprofitcopywriter.com/brainstorming-techniques.html

Ellis, M. (2021, March 22). How free writing can boost your creativity | Grammarly Blog. How Free
Writing Can Boost Your Creativity | Grammarly Blog.
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/free-
writing/#:~:text=Updated%20on%20March%2022%2C%202021,collect%20and%20mani
fest%20one's%20thoughts.

Kerr, E. (2013, May 6). Miracle In Cell No. 7: Film review. The Hollywood Reporter.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/miracle-cell-no-7-film-
479285/

Mind map brainstorm template | Mural. (n.d.). https://www.mural.co/templates/mind-map-

brainstorm#:~:text=Mind%20maps%20are%20often%20used,clear%20overview%20of%
20the%20material.
Sajjad. (2023, October 18). The writing process - Sajjad - medium. Medium.
https://medium.com/@princemautasimsajjad/the-writing-process-fc3406bf331d

SCC Research Guides: Writing a Critique : Parts of a Critique. (n.d.).

https://libguides.sccsc.edu/writingacritique/parts#:~:text=The%20name%20of%20the
%20author,for%20the%20source%20or%20event

The writing process. (n.d.). Wingspan: Center for Learning and Writing Support.
https://writing.ku.edu/writing-process

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