Evalution Essays

October 11, 2009

Grading Professors By: Wendy Kim Pg. 247

Wendy does a great evaluation of RateMyProfessor. Com.  She takes a very interesting standpoint on how she explains the usefulness and cleverness of the website.    She takes into consideration the layout, the design, and the easiness of navigation throughout the site.  She then goes on to discuss the use of the site.  It is a great way to post information about professors that you have had and is great for deciding what classes to take in the future and what teachers you should get.  She also mentions that the site isn’t completely reliable as students may or may not post accurate information.  Accuracy also depends on how many students evaluate that professor.  Each student is likely to have a different opinion so the more there are; the more likely the ratings are going to be accurate.  She considers the flaws but decides that the information given outweighs the flaws and it is a great place to start when deciding on a professor.  Kim compares different sites and explains why she thinks RMP is the best.

News in Black, White, and Shades of Gray By: A.O. Scott Pg. 254

In this essay Scott talks about how the media writes stories in black and white, but explains how there are always shades of grey that the general public isn’t exposed to.    He points out how the press does not do its job efficiently because they fail to leave out some of the facts.  He mentions that this is possibly due to the fact of “the vanity and cowardice of individual journalists to the impersonal pressures of state power and profit motive.”  In this essay, he explains how McCarthy is the one who stretches the truth while Murrow is trying to report only the truth when he knows that his reports are part of a capitalistic enterprise and his boss wants him to stretch the truth.  It is hard for him to imagine anything but the truth.  He is very uncomfortable lying.  Scott explains the focus of the story, the timeframe, and its historical picture to get the reader involved.  He also explains the main characters and their roles.  He hides the outcome but tells enough to get the reader interested.  He also states his judgment early on.  He makes his judgment in paragraph two encouraging the reader to se this movie.  In his thesis, he also summarizes his reasons.

“Children Need to Play, Not Compete,” by Jessica Statsky: An Evaluation by: Christine Romano Pg. 259

In this essay, Christin Romano takes another students essay and evaluates it.  With doing so, she finds the strenghths and weaknesses of Statsky’s viewpoints.  She begins by stating all her strengths and how they appeal to parents, citing that she provides plenty of legitimate evidence and accurate sources.  She adds that not only is it reliable but it is also believable which is what the author needs to portray to her readers.  She provides examples and anecdotes that many parents can relate to.  Her down fall is that she under develops some of her viewpoints.  Romano states that Statsky’s main weakness is “incompleteness.”  She fails to anticipate some objections and questions that some parents may have, and she also doesn’t list examples of the noncontact sports she mentions in the beginning of her essay.  Romano goes on to say what she should have corrected and how she should have done it so that a wider range of viewers would have read her essay and agreed with it or at least comply with her argument.