Description
Choose one of the following books:
Spielman, Andrew and Michael D’Antonio. Mosquito: The Story of Man’s Deadliest Foe. Hyperion. ISBN13: 9780786886678 http://hyperionbooks.com/book/mosquito-the-story-of-mans-deadliest-foe
Sullivan, Robert. Rats: Observations on the History & Habitat of the City’s Most Unwanted Inhabitants. Bloomsbury. ISBN13: 9781582344775 http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/rats-9781582343853/
Your finished paper should be thoroughly proof-read, edited, and spell-checked. Your paper should have a proper format with an introduction and conclusion. It must have an argument, which includes a thesis and evidence. It must be 3 to 5 pages long. The introduction of your paper must have a thesis statement. You need to make sure to cite the page number for every quotation taken from the text. Your paper should have one inch margins, be double-spaced, and be typed in a size 12 font (preferably something simple like Times New Roman). Manipulating the size of the font or margins to make your paper appear longer than it really is fools no one. Please keep in mind, however, that this is not a research paper or bibliographic essay. You are not required or expected to read any additional material. You are being asked to read and critique the book itself and nothing else. (Remember, if you read the book you have the right to have an opinion about it.)
The key is to engage the book. Agree or disagree with the author, but have an opinion of some kind. Don't just describe the book – talk back to it.
These are merely suggestions and are designed to help you think about the assignment. You need not (and should not) follow this list literally.
Basic points for reading comprehension
-specific subject matter
-the argument
what is an argument?
assertion/thesis and proof/evidence
logic
rhetorical strategy
-the evidence
what are different kinds of historical evidence?
-the conclusion
given the argument and supporting evidence, what does the
author now wish us to know or believe?
Perspective of the author
-Objectivity?
No author is "objective."
Every author will try to persuade you of something, even
if that something is merely to believe that "this is how
it actually was." Some authors will try to persuade you
that they are being "objective."
"Bias"
You are always free to disagree with the content or
argument of any assignment. Merely pointing out that an
author is "biased" is not adequate. You must be able to defend
your opinions with supported arguments/criticism.
"Knee-jerk" responses will not earn you satisfactory
grades.
-Analytical perspectives
class, sex/gender, language/literary analysis, political ideologies (examples:
Marxist, liberal, radical, conservative, environmentalist)
Contents of your paper
-Have you identified and discussed the basic points of the
reading assignment?
What does the author assert?
Arguing for a point?
Arguing against some point or other argument?
What does she or he present as evidence?
Can you rate the effectiveness of evidence?
What are the strengths of the evidence used?
What are the weaknesses of the evidence used?
What does she or he conclude?
Does the rest of the article or book support the conclusions?
-Have you identified and discussed the perspective of the author?
-Can you connect the material in the reading assignment to any
larger historical context in a directly relevant way?
Is setting particularly important or controversial in this
assignment?
Does geography play a role?
Does chronology (order of events) or the time period
discussed play a role?
-Is social, historical, scientific or ecological theory particularly important
or controversial in this assignment?
Does the author attempt to reorganize fundamentally our
understanding of the subject matter?
Is there an apparent conflict between the author’s
attempt in theory construction and the demands of
evidence?
The mechanics of your paper.
-Does your paper have an argument of its own?
Did you present assertion, evidence, and conclusion?
-Is your paper organized and coherent?
-Have you made proper use of the English language?
grammar and spelling
editing and revision
proofreading
-Is your paper of proper format and length?
-Have you avoided a mere summary of the book?
Some tips for reading and writing.
-Be prepared to read the book or article more than once.
-Once for general comprehension.
-Twice (and subsequently) to recover specific points of
information or argument.
-Multiple readings need not all be word for word.
Master your reading. Use each reading for a specific
purpose.
-Footnotes and endnotes can be vital. Do not ignore them.
-Use the dictionary or encyclopedia when you encounter
words or subject matter you do not recognize.
-Take notes on the article or book as you read it.
-Avoid the use of "highlighting." It is brain passive.
-Notes force you to make decisions about the information
you are processing. It is a form of active learning. Notes also
serve as handy reference and condensing of long articles and books.
-Proofread your typed assignment papers.
-When possible, take advantage of word processor features
like "spell-checking."
-Be aware that spell-checking is not a substitute for proof-reading.
A spell-check program cannot know that you meant to type "there"
not "their."
-Many word processing programs include a grammar checking feature.
Don’t bother. Grammar checkers are too crude to be of any real assistance.
-If possible, let a friend or roommate proof-read.
New eyes can find "hidden" mistakes.
-The rule is: If you can explain something clearly to your
roommate, then you understand it.
Sample Solution