TOTAL LABOR REQUIRED (p/review): 70 minutes
- Write your name on your peer’s paper.
- (2 MINUTES) Read this peer review worksheet once, all the way to the end.
- (10 MINUTES) Read the paper once, without making a single mark. In this read, you are just familiarizing yourself with a map of the author’s intellectual story.
- (28 MINUTES total) (20 minutes)Reread the paper— this time very slowly— pausing after every paragraph to make sure you understand the conceptual moves the author is making. After every page, ask yourself, “What is happening conceptually on this page?” “What is the main plot in this author’s intellectual story?” Write a quick summary in the bottom margin of each page. Be brief, but be specific.
- (3 minutes) Where do you see the author setting up a problem in the paper. In the margin near this point, write, “Setting up of problem/tension.”
- (3 minutes) What were the two strongest paragraphs: the ones that had the most interesting ideas, or were doing the most original intellectual work? Put a big star or smiley face in the right-hand margins of those paragraphs. [Be ready to tell the author why these paragraphs are strong on Tuesday]
- (2 minutes) Now, find the weakest paragraph: the one that, during step 3, you had to reread multiple times to follow, the one that confused you the most. Put a squiggly line down the right-hand margin of that paragraph. [Be ready to tell the author why this paragraph is weak on Tuesday]
- (3 minutes) Where do you see the author setting up a problem in the paper. In the margin near this point, write, “Setting up of problem/tension.”
- (5 MINUTES) Find the argument of the paper. Underline it. Is it specific? If it’s not specific, circle the words that are vague. Think carefully about this. Only circle words you are sure are vague and would benefit from specificity. Don’t confuse vague words with words that sound familiar.
- (25 MINUTES) Finally, type two, brief paragraphs for the author that does the following:
- In the first paragraph, respond to their reflection, and answer any specific questions they had. If they didn’t ask you for any specific feedback, then this is the time to write why the paragraph you have starred is strong and why the paragraph you have made a squiggly line near is weak.
- In the second paragraph, I want you think about the ideas in the paper. Find one particularly insightful or interesting analytical point. Why is it convincing or compelling? What have you learned from it? Be the best intellectual friend and colleague you can be, and tell them why you think the point he/she has made is so important for helping us understand the text in its entirety. In other words, do for your friend what your instructors do for you in office hours— engage with your peers’ ideas and help them think even bigger!
- In the first paragraph, respond to their reflection, and answer any specific questions they had. If they didn’t ask you for any specific feedback, then this is the time to write why the paragraph you have starred is strong and why the paragraph you have made a squiggly line near is weak.