For the critical reading component of the assignment, you will need to download and read the following article:
Roberts, Wayne. 2011. Citywatch: Urban Ag Meat (blog post). Nourishing the Planet Program, Worldwatch Institute. http://blogs.worldwatch.org/nourishingtheplanet/urban-ag-meat/
Ho, Soleil. 2014. #Foodgentrification and culinary rebranding of traditional foods. https://bitchmedia.org/post/foodgentrification-and-culinary-rebranding-of-traditional-foods
For this part of the assignment, you will need to:
• Identify the central claims or purpose of the text: what the author is really trying to get across? What the author is trying to convince you of (as opposed to what they are trying to convince you with)?
• Identify the context of the article you are appraising: where is the article from (and when)? Who is it written for? What is it intended to do in relation to that context?
• Distinguish the kinds of reasoning the text employs, and the types of evidence presented: does the article use a priori reasoning (define terms, make arguments based in logic or first principles)? A posteriori reasoning? (and if so, using what kinds of qualitative observations and/or quantitative observations?) Moral/ethical/aesthetic reasoning (e.g., about what is right, fair, or beautiful)?
• Examine the quality of the evidence provided: Is there enough evidence to be convincing? Does the evidence come from a reputable, trustworthy source? Are these sources primary or secondary? Is any specific methodology for understanding or interpreting the evidence laid out?
• Evaluate the overall quality of the article’s argument(s): Does the argument make sense? Are there any obvious errors in reasoning? Does the evidence provided actually support the claim(s)? Is the (type of) evidence appropriate to the point the author is trying to make? Are any obvious counter-arguments or points of view are being ignored? Are any unwarranted assumptions made?
You should then make an overall concluding statement about the quality and strength of the article: is the argument is credible? Do you ultimately believe what the author is saying?
A few additional points: first, if you do a detailed assessment of the article, you may find that you have too much information to fit into the page limit. In that case, make sure you are focusing on the key argument(s), and use only your best examples. Similarly, if your worldview assessment is too long, focus down on the key points you would like to make. Second, there is no requirement to draw on any outside material for this assignment, but if you do draw on outside material to support your points (for example, evidence to support or contradict points in the article) it must be appropriately cited. Finally, the assignment will be evaluated on the clarity and flow of your writing (i.e., your writing style) as well as the content, so please pay attention not only to what you say, but how you say it.