1 The Book Report Enhanced electronic version with external links Foun1101 Caribbean Civilisation course The University of the West Indies 2 It’s all about Critical Thinking USEFUL LINK Video Developing Critical Thinking skills This assignment aims to help you develop your critical thinking skills and apply them to analysis of text about the Caribbean. Critical thinking requires you to engage in the following 7 mental tasks: 1. Remove your emotional or personal reactions. 2. Examine or look in detail at information from different perspectives. 3. Check and verify the accuracy of information by examining the sources of the information. 4. Assess the logic of the argument, by checking to see if the evidence presented supports the conclusions being drawn. To put this another way, ensure can you determine the basis for the claims being made? 5. Question the validity of the assumptions underlying the claims. 6. Cross reference the information in the book with other sources of information on the same topic. 7. Always consider the relevant contexts (for instance, economic, historical, cultural, social) when interpreting information. 3 Let’s get started Read the book. This would require you to know your life and its limitations. You may need to do it early mornings or late evenings. You may find it is a productive way to pass the time standing in lines. Find what works for you. It may not be best to try and read the book in one sitting. Reading is a skill that develops with practice and the reality for some, is that sustained silent reading is not a habit, so it may take some discipline and effort to develop that skill. Read to understand the content and to successfully complete the assignment. This assignment requires you to: 1. Apply knowledge of themes addressed in the Caribbean Civilisation course to the book. 2. Use the content of the book and scholarly sources to construct a logical and coherent argument or thesis. 3. You are to present this in a 2500-word academic essay, correctly referenced using MLA. Therefore, this assignment requires analysis, interpretation and evaluation of the book. Note Do not use the entire essay to recap or relate the content of the book. One or two paragraphs will be sufficient to summarise the book. That is a description of the content. This assignment requires you to focus on analysis not description. 4 What to write about? Analysis Does the content of the book relate to ideas of definition of the Caribbean? Does it relate to issues of culture, Issues of identity, for instance? Clearly identify the issues and explain how it does this. How do the social and historical contexts impact on the ideas and events presented in the book? How does the book illustrate or exemplify concepts learnt in the course? Use the concepts, theories and terms you learnt in the course to discuss the content of the book. Can this book be compared to other books of similar content or other ways that similar content has been represented? For instance, how does it compare to similar content in media, another publication, another subject context or previous education? Interpretation To what extent can this book contribute to understanding aspects of Caribbean society? What aspects? How? Evaluation Were you convinced by the arguments presented? Why or why not? Were there notable absences from the book? Do you think the writer achieved his / her aim? Were there notable absences from the book? Do you think the writer achieved his / her aim? Note These are just some questions to guide your thinking. You are not expected to simply answer them and nothing else. They are just to stimulate thinking. 5 USEFUL LINKS Video Evaluating Sources How to write it You will present the book report in the form of an academic essay. An academic essay is written in continuous prose. That means you write a series of paragraphs. Do not put subheadings. Do not put bulleted lists. An academic essay has an introduction, body and conclusion. Introduction Articles Academic Writing ▪ Here you provide an overview of the book which could include the bibliographic information such as the type of book, the author, the time period it encompasses et cetera. MLA Citation guide How to write a thesis statement ▪ Your thesis statement also goes into the introduction. Body ▪ This is where you present your analysis, interpretation and evaluation of the book. ▪ Each point you make must be supported by credible, scholarly sources, including the book. ▪ In-text citation must be done. That means as you write your paragraphs, include the citations in parentheses. Remember you will still have to put a Works Cited list at the end as well. ▪ The structure of paragraphs should follow the format of first stating the point (this is a topic sentence), then developing the paragraph with relevant details and discussion. ▪ The strength of your analysis and discussion relies heavily on the quality of the information (sources) you are using to support what you say. Conclusion ▪ Here you restate your thesis or summarise your main idea. ▪ This is usually the shortest paragraph ▪ Do not put any new information, suggestions or ask any questions in the summary. 6 Did I get it right? NO ▪ If you are restating what is contained in the book, no. ▪ If your essay primarily summarises the book, no. ▪ If you are giving information and explaining theories, no. ▪ If you are simply presenting pros and cons or advantages and disadvantages, no. YES ▪ If you are discerning the key issues relevant to the assignment, yes. ▪ If you are evaluating the book considering alternative viewpoints, considering notable absences or gaps in information, et cetera, yes. ▪ If you are using theories and concepts to inform your line of reasoning or as a framework for examining the information, yes. ▪ If you are considering perspectives from a variety of sources, yes. ▪ If you are showing the links between the content in the course, the content in the book and Caribbean society, yes. Need more help? If you need further help with your book report, speak with a member of the teaching team, during tutorials, via e-mail or during his or her office hours.
