1. Select ONE of the REQUIRED readings for Topics 2-6. These readings are found in Leganto.
3. How is work linked to wealth and well-being?
Contextual information:
- Are there any vested interests which might cause the research/discussion to be biased?
- Has this work been cited elsewhere?
- What is my overall response to the text?
About the research question/aims/purpose:
- What were the aims of the paper?
- In what way was the question/s posted in this paper significant or interesting?
- What assumptions or presuppositions were made?
- What new terms/words/definitions did the author use?
- Were the ideas mainstream or controversial?
- Where do these ideas sit within the discipline?
- Is this a new area of research/discussion or is it a new perspective on an existing topic?
About the arguments/reasoning/evidence:
- Did their analysis and interpretation make sense?
- What were the authors’ main arguments/claims?
- What were the reasons given to support the claims?
- What are some of the strengths of the arguments?
- What are some of the weaknesses of the arguments?
- Were there any gaps in the evidence?
- Do I agree/disagree with the argument? Why?
About the findings and conclusion:
- What were the main conclusions?
- Were the conclusions related to the aims and results?
- Were the conclusions appropriately drawn?
- Do I agree/disagree with their conclusions? Why?
- Were there any gaps in this research/discussion?
4. What is the general topic?
5. What main argument(s) does the author make about the topic?
6. What evidence and/or examples do they use to support these argument(s)?
- key words used
- quotes
7. How is this reading similar or different from other readings?
8. What are the strengths of the argument(s)?
9. What are the weaknesses of the argument(s)?
10. Do I agree or disagree with these ideas? Why? Why not?
11. What questions do the arguments/ideas raise for me?
12. What is the distinctive feature of modern societies?
13. What is the source of the increased productivity of labour in wealthy countries?
14. Does the division of labour necessarily increase efficiency?
15. Does Smith assume from the start that the social division of labour should match the technical division of labour?
16. Increased productivity seems to be based on the technical fact that more things can be produced if productive tasks are broken down to their parts and performed separately. But must those tasks be allocated to different people?
17. Smith seems to think so, because it would waste time to change roles. But is this a compelling reason?
