Being Critical

Critical analysis is something that any university lecturer will tell you is a primary skill that they hope their students develop. They might also say that it is often the distinguishing factor between an acceptable assignment and an exceptional one. Despite this emphasis, many students have never been properly told what it really means.So, what is critical thinking? ‘Criticism’ is a word that usually suggests negativity when we use it in everyday life. For example, when you hear a journalist say that one politician is ‘critical’ of another’s policy, it usually means that they’ve found fault with it. As a result of this, when students are asked to analyse something critically in their coursework, they often think that they’ve to look for problems and weaknesses. However, in higher education, ‘critical thinking’ does not carry this negative connotation. In this chapter, you’ll be given the essential skills you need in order to be critical of others’ work in your own writing. Learning how to be critical of others’ work will, in turn, give you the skills required to assess your own work rigorously – both vital abilities in undergraduate study.