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Do this
assignment ONLY if: Ø you
hope to earn an "A" for the course AND Ø you
expect to have an overall average of 85% or above ASSIGNMENT Ø Read any book from the “Selected
Bibliography” section of the textbook (located in the Appendix on pages B1
through B16) and then answer a
number of questions about the book. Ø The questions you are required to answer are
provided below. Ø Your finished product will be a series of typewritten
questions and answers. Ø Your assignment will probably be about 10
pages in length - although there is no specific length requirement. Ø Dr. Thomas will bring sample assignments to class
so that you can see what other students have done. For your book selection, you can use any book
listed in the “Selected
Bibliography” section of the textbook (located in the Appendix on pages B1
through B16). FORMAT
Your
Book Analysis must: Ø
be typed and double-spaced Ø
be in Question/Answer format (that is, make sure you type
EACH question, then your answer immediately following). Suggestion: copy the questions from the online version
of this assignment, on Dr. Thomas’ website (www.austincc.edu/tmthomas) and
paste them into a Word document. Then
type your answers below each question. Ø
include ALL questions and answers from Book Analysis Questions below Ø
if you quote from your book, you must put quotation marks
around the quote and put the page number in parentheses after the quote. Ø
Folders and separate cover sheets are not necessary. GRADING The
Book Analysis will be graded "ACCEPTABLE" or "NOT
ACCEPTABLE". Only "ACCEPTABLE" writing assignments will be
counted towards the grade of "A". You
will be graded on: Ø
a demonstrated understanding of the book you’ve read, as
evidenced by your answers to the Book Analysis questions; Ø
the thoughtfulness and thoroughness of your answers; Ø
your ability to answer each and every question; Ø
written expression that is clear and comprehensible; Ø
written expression that employs proper English language
grammar, spelling, and capitalization. PAPER
DRAFTS You
may turn in a draft of your paper by April 13th. If there are any problems
with it, I will give it back to you to correct. DUE
DATE April
20th - at the start of class. If you’re absent from class, you are
responsible for submitting a copy of your book analysis by the time the class
begins. PAPER
SAMPLES See
Dr. Thomas for samples of papers that other students have completed in the
past. Dr. Thomas will also bring
samples to class on testing days.
I recommend you COPY and PASTE the questions
below into a Word document – then type your answers just below each question. Read
the questions carefully then give complete answers
to each of the following. Briefly TYPE the QUESTION, then your answer.
Ø the
full book title (NOTE that book titles are italicized or underlined) Examples: Reconstruction:
America's Unfinished Revolution or Reconstruction:
America's Unfinished Revolution Ø author Ø publisher
& year first published Ø in
general, what is the book about (about 5 sentences giving basic information such as who, what, when, where)?
Give the following information for any THREE chapters from the book: Ø
Chapter NUMBER and TITLE. Type chapter titles in quotation marks. Example: Chapter 1: "Franklin's Early Years" Ø
Chapter SUMMARY In one short paragraph, summarize
the chapter (a good summary gives the reader basic information, such as WHO,
WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY. Think of how you would summarize the plot of a movie
to a friend who has not seen the movie ) Ø
Chapter THESIS In a couple of sentences, explain the author’s
thesis in this chapter. That is, what does the author
hope to prove about his/her subject
in this chapter. (Hint: Look at the chapter title. It often is related to the
main idea of the chapter) Your answer should begin "In this chapter,
the author hopes to prove that......" Example: "In this chapter, the author hopes to prove
that Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves (with the Emancipation Proclamation)
because of political, not humanitarian, reasons."
Ø
Chapter ARGUMENT. In
a couple of sentences, restate the argument that the author used to prove
the main idea (what did the author argue, in order to convince
you that his/her main idea was correct) Example: “The author states that Lincoln freed the slaves
because he needed his party’s support for his upcoming re-election campaign
and because he wanted the support of the English government. Freeing the slaves accomplished both of
those political goals.” Ø
Chapter CONCLUSION. I
a few sentences, discuss the conclusions at which the author
arrives at the end of the chapter. (Hint: the conclusions usually are related
to the Main Points.) I don't want to know what HAPPENED; I want to know what
the author CONCLUDES ABOUT what happened. Example: "The author concludes that the accusations
of witchcraft in Salem in 1692 were motivated by political and economic
disputes between the two prominent families of Salem." Ø
Chapter SOURCES/EVIDENCE.
Look in the chapter’s footnotes (sometimes these are listed on the
bottom of each page; sometimes they are listed at the back of the book). If there are no footnotes, look in the
Bibliography or “works Cited” section at the back of the book. Ø
cite one primary source footnote from this
chapter (a Primary Source is something written by someone at that time
in history; such as a diary, a letter, a piece of legislation, a tax record;
a deed; a business ledger; newspapers) Cite the source. For example, your citation might look like this: "Custer Defeated at Little Big Horn," The
New York Times, April 14, 1876. or,
like this: Jennifer
Jones, ed., Diary of Anne Frank, 4th edition (New York:
McGraw-Hill, 1977). Ø
cite one secondary source footnote from this
chapter (a secondary source is one written by someone at a later date;
usually a book or article by a historian about that historical event) Cite
the secondary source; that is, make it look like a footnote (i.e., author,
title, publisher, place and date of publication). Your citation should look something like this: Michael Smith, Witchcraft in the Later Middle
Ages (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1980). or Julia Juarez, "Mayan Hieroglyphs
Decoded," Journal of Latin American History (June 1994), pp.
366-396. Ø
What TYPE of source or what type of evidence would have
made the author's argument/main idea more convincing? (Don't say "the
argument was convincing enough".) On a book about slave life, an example might be "If the author used letters or diaries
written by slaves, his argument about the hardships of slave life would have
been stronger." Remember
to answer the above questions for any THREE chapters in your book.
Ø
PERIODICALS. List 5 periodicals that the author cites in
his/her Bibliography or in the Footnotes. (Periodicals are newspapers,
magazines, & scholarly journals). Just list the periodical by name
- you do not have to cite the entire article. How do you know which items are
periodicals? Hint: Periodical titles are italicized, so look in the footnotes
and bibliography for items that are italicized and find the items that are
newspaper titles or professional journal titles.* Here are some examples (note that the titles are
italicized): Journal of Early American History American Historical Review Latin American Research Review William & Mary Quarterly The New York Times Austin American-Statesman Ladies' Home Journal Psychology Today * Remember that book titles are also italicized - so learn to
distinguish between books and periodicals. Periodicals will usually have a volume number or date, but not a
publisher's name. Books will have a publisher, publication place and
publication date. Ø
PRIMARY SOURCES. List
three types of primary sources the author uses (e.g., letters,
diaries, journals, interviews, legislation). Ø
BENEFITS OF PRIMARY SOURCES.
In a sentence or two, tell why, if you were writing a history book
about some subject in the past, WHY would it benefit from using PRIMARY
sources (letters, diaries, etc. from that time period)? o
Assume that the sources ARE available and that you ARE able to
read the sources. So, what might be a benefit
of using primary sources when writing history? Ø
PROBLEMS OF PRIMARY SOURCES. In a sentence, tell, if you were writing a
history book, what might be a problem in using primary sources for the
book you’re writing? Ø
BOOKS ON SAME SUBJECT.
List 3 books that deal with the same subject matter as
your book.
Give author, title, place of publication, publisher, and date of publication
- just as this information would appear in a footnote. Hint: use the "subject search" feature
of the library's computerized card catalog to find these books. Consult with a librarian if you need help. Ø
ARTICLES ON SAME SUBJECT. List 3 articles (from
scholarly publications or newspapers) that deal with the same subject
matter as your book. Give author, title of article, publication in which
article appears, date of publication, and page numbers - just as this
information would appear in a footnote. Hint: do a subject search in an on-line
"periodicals index" to find articles. On ACC's library webpage,
there is a link to various periodicals indexes. Choose "social and
behavioral sciences" category and then do a subject search. For example,
if your book was about the Salem witch, you'd do a subject search on
"Salem witch trials". Your search should return periodical articles
on the Salem witch trials. Get assistance from a reference librarian if
needed.
Ø what
did you like best about the book? what did you like least about the book? Ø did you
feel that the author was biased in presenting the subject matter? How
so? Ø List 3 facts
that you learned from the book. (List 3 FACTS, not
"impressions" or interpretations.) An
example of a FACT is: "George
Washington was the only president unanimously elected". An
example of an IMPRESSION (or INTERPRETATION) is: "George
Washington was the best military commander of all time." Ø how
does our textbook’s treatment of the topic compare with the author’s
treatment of the topic (list and discuss at least 3
similarities and 3 differences)? Discuss content, not form or format. DON'T say:
"The book gave a more in-depth view of Franklin's life, while the
textbook was more general." That is a statement of form, not
content. DO say:
"My book discussed Franklin's diplomatic efforts in France, while the
textbook did not mention his work in France." This compares content. Ø would
you recommend the book to someone else? Why or why not? Ø if you
could write a book on some historical topic, what topic would you choose, and
why? |