What is a reaction paper?
According to Dr. Greg Scott and Steven Garrison of the University of Central Oklahoma, the idea of reaction papers "originated with Professor Stephen Jenks of the University of Central Oklahoma" (Scott and Garrison, 2000: 215). Although the idea of the reaction paper is probably older than Professor Jenks, the educational goal for assigning reaction papers is to contribute to students' analytical writing abilities. Additionally, writing reaction papers offers students a valuable avenue for organizing and articulating their own beliefs on controversial political topics. While the writing assignments are short (3-5 + pages), students are expected to commit themselves to a certain amount of outside reading and research before writing their papers, and are expected to be able to include in a respectful manner alternative viewpoints to their own (although student's own viewpoints should be considered central to the assignment).
Do I have to choose my own topic?
Below are pools of questions from which students are expected to select their topics. Questions1 contains statement/topics related to Chapters 1-5, and students should choose one of the topics from that pool for the first reaction paper assignment (should they choose to write a paper at that time). Likewise, Questions2 includes statement/topics related to Chapters 6-9, and Questions3 offers a selection of statement/topics from Chapters 10-14. Students should select from Questions2 to write the reaction paper scheduled for the time of the second examination, and should choose a topic from Questions3 should they decide to write a reaction paper due near the end of the semester.
How are reaction papers graded?
Keep in mind: Students are only required to write two reaction papers, but they have three opportunities to write two papers. Each reaction paper is potentially worth 50 points, and the instructor generally grades on-time submissions leniently. Students submitting all three reaction papers on-time can earn up to 50 points of extra credit.
Evaluation of this assignment focuses on the quality of student's analysis and the clarity of their writing. The student's ideological preferences are irrelevant to the instructor's evaluation, and students are discouraged from attempting to guess the instructor's beliefs on a particular topic (in hopes of 'Giving the Prof what he wants to hear'). The assignment should include the following:
Why did the student select this particular topic?
What (in the student's mind) is the central issue or issues related to the topic?
What is the student's position on the topic? (Students are free to use 'I' descriptive statements for this sort of assignment)
If the topic is a polarizing one (e.g. death penalty, abortion, same-sex marriage), does the student fairly and impartially lay out the case for both sides?
How does the student defend their position?
Generally, students who include several references and offer substantial analysis (at least 5+ pages) will receive at least a 'B' for their efforts (40/50 points). Students who "mail it in," and only minimally complete the essay's requirements (no more than 3 pages, no additional references) will in all likelihood receive no more than a 'C' for their efforts (35/50 points).