For this essay you will need to write a critical analysis on ONE or TWO of the sources you have been reading for your research. (If you have done English 120 in the last three years, you will recognize this as a critical analysis or a synthesis essay.) This presentation on critical reading will give you some tips on how to approach the analysis.

Some ideas to keep in mind:

• Pick something for this essay that is in print. Stay away from radio talk shows, television programmes, and other non-print sources.
• Pick an argumentative article, rather than an expository one. Stay away from newspaper reports or factual accounts.
• Choose something from a research journal or an edited book, rather than something from the internet or the newspapers.
• If you pick a whole book, be sure that you are able to summarize the main ideas of the book before you analyze them.

Here is a sample outline for the essay:

Introduction

• Provide the name and author of the source and any other relevant publication information.
• Provide a BRIEF summary of the main idea(s) of the source.
  • In a line or two, indicate your evaluation of the source. This will be your claim.

Body

• Develop your paper by considering any of the following:
  • The author's claim
  • The author's warrant
  • The author's evidence
  • The author's use of logic
  • The author's context
  • The author's literary tricks, if any

Conclusion

In your conclusion, consider any or all of the following:

• The relevance of the source to your research
• The reliability of the source
• How much of this source you will use in your research, and why
• The timeliness of the source

Some more tips may be found here.