In your studies you are often asked to develop an argument or a critical
argument, but what do we mean by that?
The first thing we want
is a clear statement of what it is you are arguing. What is it you are going to
demonstrate or prove in the discussion.
Then we want you to
prove it using examples and applied concepts as evidence. This is not just
presenting the evidence or models, it is much more. It is an explanation of how
the models and evidence support the point or the argument you are making. With
critical argument we are looking for you to also discuss evidence that might
contradict your point and explain why you still feel your point is valid. You
may even include some discussion on the weaknesses of the concepts you are
using.
In short, we want you
to clearly state your argument and then show what that is based on.
Too often students just give the tutor some well applied models and concepts,
but the tutor has no idea what point they are making or how the concepts link
to them.
Tutors can usually
guess what the link is, but we can only give marks for what you tell us, so if
you don’t explicitly state it, you won’t get marks for it.
Critical Argument
In your studies you are often asked to develop an argument or a critical argument, but what do we mean by that?
The first thing we want is a clear statement of what it is you are arguing. What is it you are going to demonstrate or prove in the discussion.
Then we want you to prove it using examples and applied concepts as evidence. This is not just presenting the evidence or models, it is much more. It is an explanation of how the models and evidence support the point or the argument you are making. With critical argument we are looking for you to also discuss evidence that might contradict your point and explain why you still feel your point is valid. You may even include some discussion on the weaknesses of the concepts you are using.
In short, we want you to clearly state your argument and then show what that is based on.
Too often students just give the tutor some well applied models and concepts, but the tutor has no idea what point they are making or how the concepts link to them.
Tutors can usually guess what the link is, but we can only give marks for what you tell us, so if you don’t explicitly state it, you won’t get marks for it.