Critical Thinking and Professional Writing
Fall 2013
Brandeis University
The Heller School for Social Policy and Management
Master of Arts in Sustainable International Development
151 HS 292f - 1
Critical Thinking and Advanced Professional Writing
Syllabus: Spring 2015 (Module I)
Location:
Instructor: Raj Sampath
Office: Heller-Brown 157
Phone: 781-736-5338
Email:
Office hours: by appointment
UNIVERSITY NOTICES
1. If you are a student with a documented disability on record at Brandeis University and wish to have a reasonable accommodation made for you in this class, please see me immediately.
2. You are expected to be honest in all of your academic work. The University policy on academic honesty is distributed annually as section 5 of the Rights and Responsibilities handbook. Instances of alleged dishonesty are subject to possible judicial action. Potential sanctions include failure in the course and suspension from the University. If you have any questions about my expectations, please ask.
Academic integrity is central to the mission of educational excellence at Brandeis University. Each student is expected to turn in work completed independently, except when assignments specifically authorize collaborative effort. It is not acceptable to use the words or ideas of another person – be it a world expert or your roommate – without proper acknowledgement of the source. This means you must use footnotes and quotation marks to indicate the source of phrases, sentences, paragraphs or ideas found in published volumes, on the internet, or created by another student. If you are in doubt, you must ask for clarification.
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This course meets Fridays from 2:00 PM to 4:50 PM on January 16th, 23rd, 30th, February 6th, 13th, 27th and March 6th. This course is a SID core elective. The syllabus is subject to change.
COURSE INFORMATION
Course description:
The course helps development practitioners become stronger professional writers. Students will learn styles and forms of development writing such as policy briefs, position papers, critical memos, executive summaries, and analysis of literature and effective presentations of evidence to influence decision-makers and impact policy and practice. The focus is on developing critical thinking and reading comprehension, structuring arguments, examining modes of analysis and persuasion, and building professional writing skills to turn advocacy and research into concrete development action.
This module explores the theoretical and practical perspectives underpinning critical thinking and professional writing skills for development practitioners, including:
(1) basic applied social-science, including sociological, anthropological, political-economic, historical or philosophical perspectives on development policy writing and communications and the viability of different methods for sustainable development studies and practice.
(2) how normative frameworks and values influence our thinking and writing and may unconsciously underlie how we present ideas in ethics, human rights, justice, liberty, equality, freedom and well-being as motivating forces or destabilizing barriers to social transformation and sustainable development.
Readings, written assignments, final written assignment and discussions are designed to equip participants with an appreciation of the way critical thinking skills are realized as a material, social and cultural force in global and local political-economic systems to increase sustainable development. At the same time, they will provide analytical tools and references that will allow students to compare and contrast their ideas and experiences as a factor in formal and informal institutional and social community contexts, where advancement of justice may be a force for peace-making, poverty alleviation, environmental protection, gender parity, education, literacy and sustainable development. Simultaneously we will look at complex social structures and situations that inhibit or prohibit development in explicit and implicit (hidden) ways along gendered, class, race and ethnic lines.
Goals and outcomes:
Students will:
· Learn to form a convincing position stance for policy papers and strong conclusions in terms of recommendations and future avenues of exploration.
· Improve critical and creative thinking skills and models of debate, including making logical arguments, rebuttals and counter arguments.
· Improve rhetorical style and art of persuasion in making arguments, learning how to write clearly and make substantive arguments that at the same time persuade the reader in terms of content and form.
· Enhance self-reflective skills in which authors become more aware of their underlying assumptions in the argument, definitions of concepts and terms, and the consequences of their position and conclusions/recommendations.
· Build author awareness of the audience, including becoming aware of cross-cultural perspectives in international development related to gender, ethnic, and indigenous groups.
· Learn to develop models of logic and frameworks of analysis.
· Learn to develop the strength of the author’s intention and self-assertion in the text to enhance the power of arguments.
Core competency statement:
This course teaches concepts and skills that have been identified as core competencies for a degree in SID, particularly in regard to contextual analysis and application, problem solving, evidence, and communications (core competencies 4, 5, 6, and 10, respectively):
· Developing critical thinking skills to improve the effectiveness of arguments, persuasion, advocacy, problem-solving, and a variety of professional communications, especially written documents.
· Understanding the context surrounding a development issue or problem and applying contextual analysis to communications, strategies, and policy design to create change.
· Building capacity in the interpretation, presentation, and use of data and evidence to strengthen arguments and translate advocacy and research into concrete development action, understanding that shaping effective policy documents requires an understanding of how data and evidence are presented and analyzed.
· Learning methods of critical thinking and professional writing to support, produce, and influence development decisions, recognizing that communications are a powerful engine for social change.
Sustainable development statement:
This seven-week module will develop advanced critical thinking skills, models of logical argumentation and debate, reading comprehension, and advanced writing skills geared for development professionals and practitioners in foundations, NGOS, government sectors, and civil society organizations. Although we will focus on the needs of sustainable international development, professionals and practitioners from other fields are most welcome, namely public policy, social policy, and coexistence and conflict.
Gender perspective statement:
Students will learn how to think critically and write in an inclusive manner that is sensitive to differing gender roles and relations when it comes to development policy formulation while taking into account different value-systems, practices, beliefs and social relations in other cultures, particularly in developing countries. Students will become aware of the effects of their writing, arguments, and communications, which may be received differently from the standpoints of different regions, countries, traditions, and groups: the aim is to increase the effectiveness of communicating information, projects, and policies that respects diversity. This can lay the groundwork for participatory attempts to build consensus on social justice goals to improve the well-being of women throughout the developing world.
Course requirements:
1. Attendance at all sessions.
2. Preparation of all readings and weekly writing assignments.
3. Participation in class discussions.
4. Final paper due at the end of the module three days after the last class meeting.
5. Helpfulness to other students.
Your grade will be calculated as follows:
Attendance, weekly assignments and participation - 40%
Final paper- 60% (due Saturday March 7th)
You are required to write a 10-12 double-spaced page final paper on any topic or subject of your choice. The point of the paper is to test the critical thinking and advanced writing skills acquired the module regardless of the topic you choose to write on, i.e. microfinance, gender, education and development, climate adaptation, etc. - 60%
Specific grading criteria for the final paper, which will take the form of a policy brief:
· Strength, power, and clarity of your topic and what it intends to change or the development problem it will address.
· Ability to critically analyze background readings and demonstrate an understanding of basic concepts by putting them in your own words and not just repeating the technical jargon of the references or authors consulted.
· Strength of reasoning and logic to argue and persuade the reader of your position.
· Organization of the policy brief in accord with the guidelines, which will be handed out and reviewed in class.
· Transitional flow from one section to another; the aim is to explore one topic and one argument in depth and not try to write superficially on several different, disconnected topics within the same brief.
· Basic understanding of the exercise as a development policy brief in contrast to a personal essay, reflection piece or short academic research paper.
· Proper citation—summarizing in your own words and properly quoting phrases from the literature and readings. Sample citation- Sen (2009) argues that “X +Y= Z” (p. 280).
· Separation of your own ideas and words/voice from that of other authors cited, or trying to develop your own thoughts independently from the authors.
· Overall ability to impress an intelligent and informed reader of the power of your argument, the strength of your ideas, the clarity of your writing and the significance of your insights and conclusions.
CLASS SESSIONS
Requirements:
Weekly reading assignments of texts and resources:
- Reading assignments from instructional papers on writing policy papers and briefs
- Reading assignments in popular media/newspapers - The Economist, The Financial Times, etc.
- Reading assignments in peer-reviewed development journals - The Human Development and Capabilities Approach; Development in Practice, etc.
- Reading assignments from development organizations such as World Bank, ODI, UN Human Development Reports, and Oxfam
- Reading assignments from major authors and scholars working in development studies and policy
Weekly writing assignments due in class the following week from when they are assigned (Ex. assigned in Week 2 means they will be due in class Week 3):
- Short assignments varying in length from 1 to 3 double-spaced pages depending upon the exercise: outlines, abstracts and executive summaries, creative reflections, and structured arguments.
- The assignments are not about the weekly readings per se but about engaging in different types of writing exercises for different genre and formats relevant for development practitioners and policy-makers. We will look at guidelines for policy briefs, development memos, and samples of mini-case studies that take the form of concise boxes that you find in development literature and textbooks. Severine Deneulin and Lila Shahani, eds., An Introduction to the Human Development and Capability Approach (2009) is an example. See the mini- case study – Box 1.1 “Development and economic growth in Liberia” in chapter 1: http://web.idrc.ca/openebooks/470-3/
Final assignment: A Policy Brief
- The final paper will be due three days after the last class meeting of the module. The length of the paper is 10-12 double-spaced pages, including references, on any topic and will take the form of a policy brief. The purpose is to test critical thinking and advanced writing skills acquired in the module rather than knowledge of a particular subject, i.e. microfinance, climate change, rights-based approach to development, etc. Of course, students will be free to pick a subject or topic for their brief. Guidelines for the final paper will be distributed by class session 4.
Texts and resources for the course:
Policy Writing Guidelines and Reference Works:
Argyle, Nolan (1991). Instructions for Writing Policy Position Papers. Valdosta University. http://ww2.valdosta.edu/pa/argyle/POLPOSPA.pdf
Jones, Nicola and Cora Walsh (2008). Policy briefs as a communication tool for development research. London: Overseas Development Institute.
Overseas Development Institute (2009). Targeting Tools: Writing Policy Papers. London: Overseas Development Institute. http://www.odi.org.uk/publications/5271-writing-policy-paper-brief
Scotten, Ali G. (2011). Writing Effective Policy Papers: Translating Academic Knowledge into Policy Solutions. Op-Eds & Policy Briefs Workshop. University of Arizona, Center for Middle Eastern Studies.
Strunk, William and E.B. White (1999.) The Elements of Style,4th Edition. New York: Longman.
Tsai, Kellee (2003). Guidelines for Writing a Policy Brief. Johns Hopkins University.
https://jshare.johnshopkins.edu/ktsai1/web/policybrief.html
Young, Eoin and Lisa Quinn (2002). Writing Effective Policy Papers. New York: Open Society Institute.
Zinsser, William (1976). On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction, 30th Anniversary Edition. New York: Collins.
Samples of Different Types of Writing Styles, Arguments, and Genre:
Acemoglu, Daron and James Robinson (2012). Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty. New York: Crown Books.
Deneulin, Severine and Lila Shahani, eds (2009). An Introduction to the Human Development and Capability Approach. London: Earthscan.
http://web.idrc.ca/openebooks/470-3/
Fanon, Franz (2004). “Concerning Violence,” The Wretched of The Earth. New York: Grove Press. (Translated from the original French of 1961.)
Freeman, Samuel (2010). A New Theory of Justice, Review of The Idea of Justice by Amartya Sen. New York: The New York Review of Books.
Norton, Andrew and Andrew Rogerson (2012). Inclusive and sustainable development: challenges, opportunities, policies and partnerships. London: Overseas Development Institute.
http://www.odi.org.uk/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-opinion-files/7809.pdf
Robeyns, Ingrid (2006). The Capabilities Approach in Practice. The Journal of Political Philosophy, 14 (3) 351-376
Rodrik, Dani (2011). The Globalization Paradox: Democracy and the Future of the World Economy. New York: W.W. Norton.
Articles from journals in development studies and practice:
Nussbaum, Martha (2011). Capabilities, Entitlements and Rights: Supplementation and Critique. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 12 (1) 22-38.
Thol, Phum, Sim Chankiriroth, Dennis Barbian and Graeme Storer (2012). Learning capacity for development: a holistic approach to sustained organizational change. Development in Practice, 22(7) 909-920. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09614524.2012.696581
Vizard, Polly Sakiko Fukuda- Parr, and Diane Elson (2011. Introduction: The Capability Approach and Human Rights. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 12 (1) 1-22.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/19452829.2010.541728
Reports and Papers from Major International Development Institutions:
Alkire, Sabina (2010). Human Development: Definitions, Critiques, and Related Concepts. (Human Development Research Report 01). New York: United Nations Development Program.
World Bank (2012). Gender Equality and Development. (World Development Report). Washington D.C.: International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and World Bank.
Articles from the following mainstream magazines and newspapers on various topics in international development: