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The following resources are available for this chapter through the “Resources” panel or by clicking on the “Browse Resources for this Unit” button:
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Justifying an Evaluation
D oes Scott Pilgrim vs. the World deserve its status as a cult film? Is binge-
People make evaluations for various purposes and audiences and publish them in a variety of media. For example, students in a history course were asked to write and post to the class blog a review of a scholarly book that included a summary of the book’s main assertions and an assessment of how well the author supports those claims with factual evidence and authoritative sources. A business executive used Prezi slides to present her evaluation of how the company could benefit from investing in 3-
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In this chapter, we ask you to choose a subject for evaluation that you can examine closely. By analyzing the selections in the Guide to Reading that follows, you will learn how to use appropriate criteria to support your judgment. The Guide to Writing later in the chapter will show you ways to use the basic features of the genre to make your evaluation interesting and persuasive.
Choosing Appropriate Criteria
The success of evaluation depends on whether readers agree that the criteria being applied are sound and based on widely accepted standards of judgment. To practice developing an evaluative argument based on appropriate criteria, get together with two or three other students and follow the guidelines below.
Part 1. First, choose a film everyone in the group has seen. Then take turns giving a quick review of the film:
Identify the type of film you think it was (for example, romantic comedy, science fiction, action, and so on).
Say one thing you expect from films of this type.
Say whether this particular film surpassed, met, or fell short of your expectations for this type of film and why.
For example, do you usually expect a film like this to have a surprising or predictable story; to present believable characters in realistic situations; to be all about special effects or exciting action sequences; to be funny, scary, or thought-
Part 2. As a group, discuss what you learned:
What did you learn about criteria, or standards, appropriate for evaluating the film you chose? To think about criteria in evaluating a film, discuss the similarities and differences between what you expected and what others expected for the film. Our expectations represent the criteria we think are important when evaluating a subject. What is a must have (your main criterion) for judging a comedy? An action film? Were you surprised by how your partners categorized the film or any of the criteria they applied? Why?
Think about how the context for your review — the purpose, audience, and medium — affects the criteria you use. If you were going to post your evaluation on Facebook, be graded on your review, or submit it to an audience review Web site such as Flixster, would you use the same criteria you used in your group? What would you assume about your audience: Why do you think audience members would be likely or unlikely to share your criteria? How could you justify the criteria you think are most important?