Section outline

    • Book Review (10%) Assignment
      Opened: Monday, September 7, 2026, 12:00 AM
      Due: Friday, October 2, 2026, 11:59 PM

      Since one of the goals of this course is to improve your ability to research, synthesize, and evaluate large quantities of scholarship, you are required to select an academic monograph (either one of your choosing or from a list I provide) and write a book review WITHOUT actually reading the book cover to cover. Instead, you will locate three to five scholarly reviews, carefully read the introduction and conclusion, skim the main chapters, and compose a synthesis as if you had read the whole book. You may not read the book in full! We will discuss and practice the art of skimming. Your book review should be roughly three to four pages, double-spaced, 12-point font, with 1-inch margins. It should (1) synthesize the book’s main argument, the question it addresses, the scholarly discussion it is part of, and the methodology it employs, and (1) offer a critical assessment of it. Additional guidance on book reviews will be posted to Moodle. This exercise builds your ability to quickly identify, synthesize, and evaluate academic arguments and scholarship, which will serve you well on the research project.

      Due Friday, October 2nd by 11:59pm (Week 5)