EUH 3282 Critical Book Review Assignment

EUH 3282 Critical Book Review Assignment

EUH 3282 Dr. Sven Kube

Assignment 2: Critical Book Review

Assignment Prompt While academic journal articles tend to tell small-scale stories or showcase particular aspects of larger research projects, monographs provide a more comprehensive and thorough investigation of historical subjects. After practicing critical examinations of articles as secondary sources, for your second written assignment you will interrogate a scholarly monograph to evaluate its arguments, analytical approaches, methodologies, sources, and overall effectiveness. In accordance with your main interests in European History since 1945, you will produce a critical book review of a qualifying volume of your choice. Outlined below are the steps you need to take to complete this task. 1) Choose a Book and Submit the Proposal Selecting an appropriate book to review is key to efficiently producing an insightful and refined review. Your choice of work must meet the following criteria:

 It has to be a monograph: a stand-alone book publication on one particular subject (usually) written by one author

 It has to be written in English and contain at least 200 pages of chapter text

 It has to be an academic publication, ideally produced by a “university press”

 It has the be the work of an academic historian and investigate a historical subject to explain change over time

You have relative freedom of choice with regard to topic. Naturally, your choice must correspond to the course content, “Europe since 1945.” You are highly encouraged to choose a topic that resonates with your individual interests in European politics, economy, society, culture, and ideology / religion. If the scope of the topic is sufficiently large, focus on one country is viable. If the influence of a particular person is sufficiently profound, a biographical work can be an option. Some thematic examples, good and bad, below: Good Topics

 Feminism in Cold War Western Europe

 Christianity in the Eastern Bloc

 Jazz in the Soviet Union (at least half of the text would have to cover the period after 1945)

 Twentieth-Century Italian Cinema (at least half would have to cover the period after 1945)

 Margaret Thatcher’s Britain and the Resurgence of Conservatism

 Popular Culture in West Germany versus East Germany

 European Unification since the 1950s Bad Topics (and what makes them so)

 Women in Cold War Western Europe > too vast as a topic, will leave you with a lack of focus

 Religion in the Eastern Bloc > too many countries, too many faiths

EUH 3282 Critical Book Review Assignment

 Music in Russia > too vast as a topic and the book may center on classical music in the period before World War 2

 Italian Neorealist Film > too narrow as a topic and the book may apply an approach grounded in film theory rather than history

 Statecraft of Winston Churchill > influential figure but much more relevant for the period prior to 1945

 Car Industry in West Germany versus East Germany > too narrow as a topic and likely book would have little to say on the latter country

EUH 3282 Critical Book Review Assignment

 European Union since the Euro > too recent, book would not provide analysis grounded in history

If you are not sure whether your choice of work qualifies, send a Canvas message to ask in advance. You must ensure that the work you choose is instantly available to you (from the library, in physical or online format, or from a commercial outlet). It is your responsibility to ensure immediate access to the work you choose. You need to submit your proposal for a monograph of your choice through Canvas by Sunday, October 10, 11:59pm. Feel free to do it much earlier to receive heads-up feedback. Your submission must contain the following:

 Chicago-Style Bibliographic entry identifying Author Name, Title, Place of Publication, Name of Publisher, and Year of Publication

 Proposal Text of 200 words explaining why you chose the text, what kind of historian the author is, what place and period the analysis covers, and how the work tracks change over time

The rubric for the Critical Book Review assignment will allot ten percent of points to this proposal. 2) Write the Review Write an informed and argumentative review of between 1,000 and 2,000 words that critically engages the publication. Refrain from retelling the book’s narrative (you can provide a content summary of one concise paragraph or refer to the story arc as you discuss the work) and focus on interrogating the historical analysis it provides. Here are some aspects that you may want to address: Questions for Inspiration (you do not need to work through all of those, but consider them as you read and write)

 What is the book’s main argument?

 What aspects of the subject matter does the analysis focus on?

 Does the book support or challenge previous scholarship on the subject? In what ways does it deviate from established perspectives or explanations? What is the author’s main motivation?

 What are the major strengths and weaknesses of the volume? What parts of the text work particularly well, and which ones are not effective? Why?

 What kinds of sources does the author use? Are those sources sufficient in quantity? Are they adequate sources for the analysis at hand? Why or why not?

 Who are the main actors in the book’s narrative? Are those well selected? Does the selection permit a balanced reconstruction of the past?

 Are any political / ideological / religious biases notable in the text? If so, how do those impact the historical analysis?

 What realistic additions or alternate perspectives could have enhanced the scholarly value of the book?

EUH 3282 Critical Book Review Assignment

Make sure your review begins with an introductory paragraph, continues with thematic body paragraphs, and ends with a brief conclusion. Your introduction should reference what major points your review raises. Each body paragraph should address a specific part, theme, or aspect. The conclusion should contain a closing statement that provides some thoughtful reflection or states a “bottom line.” Make precise references to the text throughout your critical review and do not criticize the book for what it does not seek to accomplish (“This book on jazz in the Soviet Union provides a detailed account of jazz in the Soviet Union, but its omission of country music is unforgiveable. Graver yet, it entirely ignores music life in Poland.”). Engage the work as a reviewer in the field of History instead of passing journalistic value judgments (“The title suggested that this work on the Sixties may be a great read, but its narrative is not exciting at all—rather than a psychedelic drug, this is a sleeping pill!”). Do not use personal / first-person speech (“In my opinion, what this book tells us is already commonly known. I distinctly remember hearing about it on the television.”). Format your paper in accordance with the standards of the Chicago Manual of Style (Notes and Bibliography). Identify all cited content with the aid of proper footnotes and include a full list of works cited (even if it contains only of the work reviewed). Consider working with the Department of History’s writing tutors in the process of completing the assignment. Remember to schedule appointments ahead of time. Review the rubric on Canvas. 3) Submit your Critical Book Review Please and by all means heed what the syllabus states with regard to academic honesty (particularly plagiarism) as well as verifiability and lateness of submissions. Your assignment must be saved and submitted in .docx or .pdf format. Alternate file types (such as .pages etc.) as well as files containing characters, formatting, and scripts that render them unreadable to Canvas are not allowed. Submissions need to constitute responses to the actual task to receive any credit and be considered on time. The submission deadline is Sunday, October 17, at 11:59pm. This assignment accounts for twenty percent of your course grade.

Mucha suerte / Good luck / Viel Glück !

https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html
https://history.fiu.edu/tutoring/

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