The book is American Dreams: The United States Since 1945
Book Review Guidelines Prince Spring 2021
For the books assigned for this course, you are to write a 4 page book review on American Dreams: The United States Since 1945. If you have taken any of my other courses you may be surprised at only doing 1, but given the compressed nature of the course I thought this was the most pertinent.
Your papers need to be in Times New Roman 12pt font, double spaced, with 1 inch margins. At the top of the first page, you need only your name, date, and the title of the work – your header should not take up more than ¼ of the page. The paper will need to be well written, with a thesis, argumentative points, and a conclusion. Please cite specific lectures and page numbers when dealing with the book, using the Turabian format, which I will discuss in a video.
The paper must be submitted to Canvas by midnight on the day it is due, or it will be subject to a 5 point per day late penalty. *NOTE for Winter Intercession: As always, this due date is flexible to a degree due to traveling and other issues.
Although there are numerous ways to accomplish the paper, each one should address the following ideas. In addressing each point, you should include some detail as to how the author achieves these objectives – not simply answering “yes, the author’s work is accurate and approachable.” Be descriptive, and include relevant cited examples from the work.
First – What is the thesis of the work? What is the author’s purpose for writing the work?
Second – What sorts of sources do the authors use to make their points?
Third – How well does the author support their thesis and claims in the work? Do they prove their arguments? Is the work convincing in the case it tries to make?
Fourth – What are the main themes and ideas of the work?
Fifth – How approachable is the work? Is the work meant for historians or could anyone interested in the subject matter understand the work? What is the author’s bias, if any?
Be as descriptive as possible, and answer all parts of the question fully. There is not necessarily a “right” or “wrong” way to do the assignment, but your grade will reflect how well you read the book and how you interpret the information presented. The better you read the book, the better your grade will be. Further, you should include Turabian citations with the work, providing examples to back up your assertions. YOU SHOULD NOT, AND NEED NOT, CONSULT OUTSIDE SOURCES.
In addressing the themes and ideas presented in the work, feel free to either answer the reading questions, or discuss those aspects of the work that you enjoyed or disliked the most. In either case, be as specific as possible and include citations discussing the page number of the book that contains the information you are critiquing. If you have questions over the assignment, feel free to contact the instructor or go to the OSU Writing Center for help.
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