Pearlman-Carillo's Framework for Thinking Critically and its Five Categories

Answer these questions:
What is the purpose of the Pearlman-Carillo framework?
What are the five categories of the Pearlman-Carillo framework?
What is the main goal of your first major assignment?

Engaging With An Article Purpose Scholarship involves far more than just collecting and reiterating information. It requires that you clarify the context in which you are making your contribution, and that you truly engage with the ideas and opinions of others who have spent time developing their thoughts in that same context. This helps you strengthen and express your own ideas, improving the quality and relevance of your research. As a result of doing this assignment, you will further develop the analytical, critical, and communication skills of a scholar by  gaining experience with the various ways in which sources can be used in a research paper;  strengthening you ability to compare and contrast sources which discuss related material;  strengthening your ability to develop your own ideas in the context of the work of others; and  practicing organizing your thoughts and expressing them clearly. General Description The assignment involves writing an essay that draws on two scholarly articles. One is “The Infinite Challenge: Levels of Conceiving the Endlessness of Numbers” by Ruma Falk, and the other is one that you will choose. The main goal is to create a three way conversation between you, Falk, and the author of the second article, and to make a contribution to that conversation by arguing some point of your choosing. Step 1: Choice of second article (2%, due Friday 2/12) The article you choose must be a scholarly article related to the Falk article in some substantial way, but need not be an article “on the same subject” except that it must have a direct connection to the subject of infinity. We will discuss in class, and in particular with our librarian partner Morgan Stoddard, what indicates an article is scholarly, but a basic requirement is that there be a bibliography and in-text citations to sources. Your second article will need to be approved by Dr. Abrams; you must submit a .pdf copy of the article (NOT a link) on Blackboard no later than 9am on Friday 2/12. If the article is not acceptable, you will have 36 hours to submit a replacement. It’s a good idea to submit your choice of second article a day or two early and send Dr. Abrams an email alerting him to the fact that you have done so. Step 2: Essay Overview (20%, due Sunday 2/21) The Pearlman-Carillo framework has five basic components -- Analyze, Question, Evaluate, Complicate, Conclusde -- each of which refers to certain general questions that you need to be able to answer when you are truly engaging with sources and your own ideas. The overview of your essay will be a document containing five clear, precise, concise, coherent and cohesive mini-essays, each of which addresses questions corresponding to one of the five components of the Perlman-Carillo framework. These questions should be applied to the Falk article, the second article you chose, and the point you intend to argue, but your mini-essays must be one coherent and cohesive whole, so you cannot simply address each of these separately. Furthermore, the requirement for coherence and cohesion means you cannot simply list questions and answers. Suggested approximate length for each mini-essay: 250 words A page giving the required structure for this sketch appears on page 3 in this document. Copy that template into a separate document. Note that this overview should definitely NOT be an outline of the essay in the traditional sense, and you should have NO expectation that the ordering of sections and paragraphs in your essay will line up exactly with the five categories. Each mini-essay will be graded with respect to the following (equal weighting for each bullet):  clarity, concision, coherence and cohesiveness  consideration of the Falk article, your second article, and your intended point  appropriateness of content for the particular Pearlman-Carillo component There will be penalties of up to 4% off for each of the following:  Not giving the name and author of your second article  Not identifying the key point you will be arguing  Violating the typesetting requirements: 12pt font; double-spacing; 1 inch margins all around; PDF format. Step 3. Draft essay with framework-questions (25%, due Sunday 2/28) The essay should argue for one, and only one, assertion. The draft essay must satisfy all the “Specific Requirements” listed below. Suggested approximate length for the draft essay: 1,300 words. At the beginning of each paragraph put in brackets [ ] and ALL CAPS the question/questions from the Pearlman-Carillo framework that that paragraph addresses. Step 4: Meeting with Dr. Abrams (8%, Monday 3/8 – Wednesday 3/10) I will meet with each of you individually to discuss your draft, helping you crystallize and/or further develop your ideas, and generally providing individualized guidance. You must be prepared to discuss your work, which requires having done a “legit” job on the draft. Step 5: Annotated version of draft essay (20%, due Friday 3/12) An exact, i.e. completely unchanged, copy of the text (but not layout) of your draft essay, but with NOTES IN ALL CAPS interspersed in the text itself indicating what will need to be revised and why. Do not include the revisions. There must be notes on all sections, on almost all paragraphs, and on many sentences. These notes must not refer to grammar, punctuation, spelling or other mechanics of writing. Step 6. Final version of essay( 25%, due Monday 3/22) A percentage of the grade will depend on the extent to which you responded to the feedback you received on your overview from Step 2 and your draft essay from Step 3. Be sure to fulfill all the “Specific Requiements” specified below. Suggested approximate length for the final version of the essay: 1,750 words. Specific Requirements The draft essay and final essay must satisfy/include the following:  12 point font; double-spacing; 1 inch margins all around; PDF format  a separate title page with the title of your essay, your name, and the date  an introduction and a conclusion  a bibliography at the end of the essay listing, in proper MLA bibliographic format, the two sources you used. YOU MAY NOT USE MORE THAN TWO SOURCES.  proper in-text citations, as appropriate, in MLA format  descriptive section headings (note: you may NOT use the terms “Analyze”, “Question”, “Evaluate”, “Complicate” as section headings, since they are not adequately descriptive)  an argument for one, and only one, assertion.  utilization, at least implicitly, of the Pearlman-Carillo framework. Grading You will receive a rubric, in advance, for steps 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the assignment. Overview of Essay Name and author of second article: * The key point the essay will argue (this may change, but should be a fairly well-developed idea): * Instructions For each item below, insert a single clear, precise, concise, coherent, and cohesive mini-essay (suggested approximate length: 250 words) that addresses the questions corresponding to that component of the Pearlman-Carillo framework. These questions should be applied to the Falk article, the second article you chose, and the point you intend to argue, but your mini-essays must be one coherent and cohesive whole, so you cannot simply address each of these separately. Furthermore, the requirement for coherence and cohesion means you cannot simply list questions and answers. See page 1 for more details. I. Analyze II. Question III. Evaluate IV. Complicate V. Conclude