The phrase “academic success” can be defined in various ways. While for some it may imply securing great marks, for others it may mean the ability to secure one's dream job on the basis of one's academic qualifications. Since the goals of education can vary from person to person, the term has a different resonance for each individual in pursuit of it. However, one can still safely conclude that the attainment of academic goals defined within educational parameters is what the phrase means more or less.
The other term that this article focuses on is “critical writing”, a term that is thought by many to be terrifyingly superior to its sibling “creative writing”. While critical writing in the field of literature involves interpretation and analysis of a text (which can be anything, provided it can be “read”), creative writing is usually associated with the generation or creation of out-of-the-box ideas, or of newer ways of thinking about ideas in connection with each other. However, what is common between these two types of writing is that individual perspective and subjective knowledge finds a place in both of them. However, critical writing is more orderly and usually follows some organisational principles commonly adhered to in the academic set-up. Therefore, it is something that needs to be taught and learned in literature classrooms.
Every student has a different intellectual capacity, and hence the way they make sense of their environment and the things that constitute it is unique to them. This uniqueness of individual perspectives must be cherished in classrooms where the focus is on teaching critical reading and writing. In order to make sure that students make a lifelong commitment to act as critical thinkers, they must be given the confidence to trust their own judgments about the texts they find themselves facing and making sense of. Whatever ideas, claims, and arguments they encounter, they must make up their minds about them relying on their own interpretations. For this, it is important that they are sensitised toward different worldviews and ways of thinking.
Academic success rests upon the educated person's ability to ask relevant questions against points raised by others, draw connections, employ collected information to infer knowledge, arrive at rational conclusions, collate information, and come up with effective presentations. In short, it is reliant upon critical thinking skills which also have a favorable impact on wide-ranging language learning skills. Hence, critical thinking goes hand in hand with any kind of academic reading and writing.
At The NorthCap University, one of the best private universities in Haryana for B.A. (Hons.) English, we take utmost pains to train our students in critical writing right from the beginning. Students are made to ask questions from themselves that can help them figure out their own, personal position vis-à-vis the text. They are made to think about the plot of the narrative, the characters, the themes, and the setting right from the start of the programme. As they move forward, they are also educated about how the genre of the narrative has a bearing on its meaning, and how the form both enhances and constrains the content. Students who pursue B.A. (Hons.) Degree in English at The NorthCap University are exposed to a wide variety of literary writings, which include drama, short stories, poems, essays, and novels. We here at NCU also teach our students how films and other media products can be analysed critically. As a result of all these efforts, our students have a well-rounded understanding of the world they live in and can thus comment upon contemporary events intelligently. They are in a position to sift facts out of the series of information that contemporary media constantly inundates the youth with. Their ability to think critically, honed by their teachers, gives them an edge when it comes to identifying disinformation. Armed with such knowledge, it is no wonder that many of our students feel that they are ready to take the bull by the horns.
Once one feels equipped to deal with life's challenges, academic success is not really hard to achieve. It is largely due to this reason that we train our students to think and write critically. We, the faculty at The NorthCap University, also ensure they learn how to manage their emotions. B.A. (Hons.) English students are provided guidance by their mentors who help them to gain insights about their selves and others and thus understand motivations better.
To think critically is indeed a skill necessary to have in the present times when students are surrounded by myriad options in terms of career choices. Success in life depends heavily upon the quality of one's decisions and the consequences they yield. Hence, it is imperative that one makes sound, realistic, and wise choices when it comes to determining one's career path. Academic success and critical thinking thus become interlinked. To conclude, when students are empowered by personal reflection and self-understanding, they can climb up just about any career ladder they choose for themselves.
Dr. Gouri Kapoor
Assistant Professor,
Centre for Language Learning
The NorthCap University, Gurugram
LinkedIn ID: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-gouri-kapoor-37259714b/
