Article Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Article Critique - Essay Example To comply with the requirements of writing a critique, one selected the topic which covers the rationale for federalism (why federalism?) and provide insights regarding personal reaction and opinion on the points that were discussed to determine if these points were appropriately supported. Why Federalism? The authors effectively presented a discussion on the topic (why federalism?) by first establishing the rationale for unification. Other terms that were successfully defined included: nation, confederal system, unitary system, self-government, and federalism (Greer, Schiller and Segal 75-77). The expertise and authoritativeness of the authors on the subject have been established in their capacities as professors of political science. As such, provisions of meanings of terms were validly presented through the knowledge they have gained from previous academic pursuits and in their respective professions as educators. In another perspective, the authors used a fairly comprehensible an d straightforward language that aids the students, who are the primary audience, in gaining awareness and knowledge on the subject of discussion. Through the provision of clear examples where students could effectively identify and relate to, the authors thereby are effective in language use and structural presentation. Difficult terms or vocabularies that need to be expounded were effectively provided meanings in straightforward and easily understood manners. Also, by citing other authoritative discourses authored by experts on the subject, Greer, Schiller and Segal (2012) established support and increased credibility on the topics being discussed. For instance, in defining the term ‘federalism’ which is crucial in this section, Greer, Schiller and Segal (2012) made reference to a policital scientist, William Riker, whose definition was explicitly disclosed therein. Likewise, through presenting a visual comparative illustration of conferedal, unitary and federal system s, as Figure 3.1 (Greer, Schiller and Segal 76), students were illumined on the similarities or disparities of one system of government from the other. Visual representations and illustrations are effective means to enhance understanding on topics that could be challenging to comprehend through purely written literary discourse. In subjects such as political science and history where students expect a lot of reading and discussion, as well as references to historical backdrop, using visual aids and illustrations become a welcome and helpul respite. The sources of other secondary references that provided support to the authors’ contentions were cited in two ways: through immediate citation with references under figures or visual illustrations; and through an author index where supercripts where initially added in citations through the text. In expounding on the subject of why federalism, for instance, the authors made reference to only one citation, from the work of William Ri ker in his definition of the term ‘federalism’ (Greer, Schiller and Segal 76). Despite the lack of other citations, the authors used other means of support through the provision of historical narration, examples, and statistics, as deemed applicable: for instance, citing the experiences of participants in the 1787 Constitutional Convention, specifically located in