Five writing assignments, geared to the content of a community college course on international relations, are presented. The first four assignments deal with specific critical reading skills: (1) distinguishing fact from opinion; (2) analyzing the author's point of view; (3) detecting fallacies; and (4) comparing and contrasting articles which take different positions on a single issue. In the fifth assignment, students are asked to use these skills, along with material learned in the course, in a critical analysis and evaluation of a given article. Each assignment is preceded by a lesson in which the specific reading skill is discussed in some detail. By carefully studying the lessons and putting the ideas into practice in the five short papers, the student is expected to leave the course not only knowledgeable about international relations, but also well prepared to critically read and think about issues in the various areas of the social sciences, including world politics. (EJV)