The Art of Evaluation: Crafting Meaningful Product and Arts Reviews
Evaluations are integral to our daily lives, influencing our choices as consumers and art enthusiasts. From online product reviews to arts critiques in media, we constantly assess value and quality. This guide delves into the essentials of crafting an evaluation essay, focusing on the criteria needed for meaningful judgments, how to support claims with evidence, and providing useful advice for readers. Learn how to effectively evaluate various subjects, structure your essay, and share insightful perspectives that resonate with your audience.
The Art of Evaluation: Crafting Meaningful Product and Arts Reviews
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Presentation Transcript
Evaluations Make a claim about the merit of something
Why Evaluate? • Evaluations and reviews are so much a part of our lives that you might only notice them when they are assigned. • Product Reviews: as a good consumer you scour online resources on the latest SLR Camera before purchasing. • Arts Review: Check out any newspaper or magazine and you’ll see the latest Black Eyed Peas CD up for ‘evaulation’. • Social Satire: Tired of students who are always on their cellphone at social events? Mock them in a social satire.
What to Evaluate • You will evaluate your peer’s work when we do Peer Reviews on your essays this month. • When you back up opinion with evidence, you actually get others to take you seriously! • Evaluations involve people debating matters of taste – which draws good sense and wit in the the mix.
“Persistence of Memory” – Salvador Dali Write your Observation on left side. Write Evaluation on right side. • Your opinion • If you know background info, include that! • Objective objects • Things you notice
Video Evaluation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBENnHkmqdw&playnext=1&list=PL4B5D4AF297437246&feature=results_video
Necessary Ingredients • Established & Defined Criteria • Criteria: standards by which objects are measured. (What do you look for in a good running shoe? What makes a good movie?) • When readers agree with your criteria, you need to explain a little about them, when they don’t you have to defend them.
Offer Convincing Evidence • In the form of fats, statistics, examples, other reviews. • This is the link between evaluative claim and criteria. • Could include anything from numbers to harrowing tales of personal woe. (quantitative of qualitative)
Offer Useful Advice • Some evaluations are just for fun: consider all the hoopla arguments about sports rankings generate. (football fans?) • When done right, they also provide useful info: • Restaurants (Yelp!), Travel (Trip Advisor), Movies (Rotten Tomatoes), Product Reviews.
How to Measure Criteria? • How do you measure something like Jay-Z’s last recording, or a dance recital? • Do research on similar topics have been evaluated or discussed. Get familiar with critics on topics). • Examples: pg.119 (How to Write Anything) James Morris Explains why he believes American Television is often better than Hollywood films. [take out book and read excerpt]
Structure of Essay Introduction leading to evaluative claim (Thesis) including….. Criteria of evaluation stated + defended (Thesis) BODY of Essay: • Subject measured by first criterion + evidence • Subject measured by second criterion + evidence • Subject measured by third criterion + evidence Conclusion – restate Thesis and tie it up!
Meet Me in Mayaguez! • First Essay will be written for scholarly audience visiting Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. Think of it like an academic’s “Tripadvisor” magazine essay. • Find local restaurants, stores, places of interest, beaches, zoo, parks, places that aren’t often advertised. • Write an Evaluation essay, MLA Style, min 500 words, works cited (if referencing outside material), DUE: OCT 31st
