sociology reaction paper

I’m working on a Political Science question and need guidance to help me study.

What is a reaction paper? In a nutshell, it is both a summary discussion of the big picture and main ideas of the reading as well as your thoughts and reactions to these ideas.

This assignment involves the following: reaction paper (2.5- 3 pages) for “Schaeffer, Ch 5, “An Age of Migrations,” 103-139” and a reaction paragraph “300 words” for “Collier, Ch 6, “On Missing the Boat: The Marginalization of the Bottom Billion in the World Economy,” 79-96“

1. Identify and summarize the big picture and key ideas of the reading, along with the supporting details and examples
2. Provide your thoughts and reactions to the big picture and key ideas presented by the author

The reaction paper should be:

1. Two and one half to three pages long, double-spaced, have 1″ margins, and use Times New Roman or comparable font
2. The summary part should be about one and half to two pages long, while the reaction part should be about a page
3. Make sure to cover both the first as well as the second half of the reading.
4. Paraphrase or write in your own words rather than using direct quotes (only one direct quote if needed)

The reaction paragraph should be: your thoughts and reactions (300 words or more). The idea here is to generate class interaction and discussion through postings on any of the readings on one hand, and weekly Discussion Forums on the other. All in all, your postings should demonstrate clear understanding of and engagement with class readings as well as provide thoughtful responses.

Strategies for identifying and summarizing the main ideas and supporting details and reacting to these ideas:

1. Usually any reading will be divided into several sections with the headings demarcating key themes. These headings will help you to identify the main ideas. Supporting details discussing and illustrating these ideas will be presented in these sections. The goal is to discuss the most important ideas and supporting details within the 1.5-2 page limit. Then spend about a page providing your thoughts and reactions to these ideas. A good strategy is to write more than the set page limit and then eliminate the points and supporting details that are not needed.
2. Once you have summarized the main ideas and provided the supporting details and examples, you are ready to provide your thoughts and reactions to these ideas. Here are some questions to think about as you reflect on what you have read:
   1. What are your thoughts about the arguments the author is making? Do you agree or disagree? Why?
   2. Are there any weaknesses in the author’s argumentation?
   3. What about the evidence the author presents to make his/her case? Any issues with the evidence?
   4. Can you relate at all to some of the main ideas presented by the author?
   5. Have you learned anything new by reading this chapter/article? How helpful or informative was it?
   6. Any other positive remarks or criticisms you can think of about the reading?