DSP Critical Analysis
About the program
DSP is a free six-week summer program for incoming first-year students. Successful completion guarantees admission to most majors at UMass Boston in the fall. The program combines critical reading and writing, quantitative reasoning, embedded tutoring, and community building.
About the course
Critical Analysis prepares students for the reading, writing, reasoning, and discussion expected in first-year college work. It takes its learning outcomes from CRW 112 and ENGL 101, and builds the core academic habits students need before first-year writing: careful reading, evidence-based interpretation, inquiry, discussion, drafting, feedback, revision, and reflection.
By the end of the course, students can
- Read short texts closely, identifying claims, key ideas, evidence, assumptions, and implications.
- Develop a focused argumentative claim in response to a text, issue, or inquiry question.
- Support an argument with relevant evidence from readings, course materials, or limited research.
- Explain and respond to an opposing view through counterargument and rebuttal.
- Organize an argumentative essay with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, transitions, and conclusion.
- Use feedback to revise for clarity, evidence, organization, and reasoning across drafts.
- Reflect on their growth as readers, writers, and college learners.