Assignment
Write a review of a scholarly article from the journal Technology and Culture about a topic of your choice related to the history of technology. The review will need to be about a historical development related to the history of technology from before roughly 1750 AD (CE). The purposes of the review are to provide you with new information and insight on a chosen topic, and to give you the opportunity to become familiar with the structure and format of analytical historical arguments. In the review, you will identify the author's central thesis, and then summarize the various points which the author uses to support that thesis. The review will then identify the author's sources, focusing especially on the primary sources, and will assess how the author uses those sources. The article under review must be from the journal Technology and Culture, issues of which are available via the university library through JSTOR and Project MUSE; the article reviewed must be no fewer than fifteen pages in length. The review should consist of at least two full pages of text (double-spaced, with 12-pt Times New Roman font and one-inch margins on all sides, with any title information placed on a separate title page); should be written in essay form with complete paragraphs; and should cite all of its sources fully and properly using APA, MLA, or Chicago style.
The following grading rubric will be applied to the assignment:
A: The paper ably and accurately summarizes the content of an article of no fewer than fifteen pages in length related to a topic from before 1750 obtained through the journal Technology and Culture; and correctly and succinctly identifies its thesis and the sources the author used to defend the thesis. The writing in the paper is clear and correct. The paper cites its sources correctly using either APA, MLA, or Chicago style. The body of the paper is at least two full pages of text in length.
B: The paper accurately summarizes most of the main points of the content of an article of no fewer than fifteen pages in length related to a topic from before 1750 obtained through the journal Technology and Culture; and attempts to identify its thesis and the sources the author used to defend the thesis. The writing in the paper is clear though it may contain some typos. The paper cites its sources using either APA, MLA, or Chicago style, though the citations might not fully meet the standards of the chosen style. The body of the paper is at least two full pages of text in length or close to it
C: The paper summarizes most of the main points of the content of an article of no fewer than fifteen pages in length related to a topic from before 1750 obtained from a scholarly journal, though journal might not be Technology and Culture; instead of identifying the thesis of the article; the discussion of sources is absent or vague. The writing in the paper is mostly clear though it may contain numerous typos. The paper cites its sources, though the citations may not recognizably follow APA, MLA, or Chicago standards. The body of the paper is no less than one and half pages of text in length.
D: The paper offers a cursory overview of an article which may not be from Technology and Culture or a different scholarly source, or may not meet the fifteen page requirement. The paper may neglect to discuss the article's thesis or the nature of its sources, or its discussion may be wrong of vague. The paper may include numerous errors of grammar and spelling which may obscure its clarity. The paper neglects to cite its sources. The body of the paper may be less than one and half pages of text in length.