Race & Society Final Paper (The Hidden Cost of Being African American)

Students must complete a 7-10 page book review by the end of the semester. This paper is 20% of student?s overall grade. Ideally, these book reviews will be based on one of the books we have discussed in class; but exceptions will be made for other books that discuss race in the United States if students receive permission from the professor (see list of books on next page).

All papers MUST follow this format: double spaced, 1 inch margins, in 12 point Times New Roman font, page numbers on bottom right hand side, title of paper, date, and name in the header of the first page; a cover page is not needed. All referenced work must be cited in accordance with ASA guidelines. Points will be deducted for incorrect format. In addition to the content, students will be graded for correct grammar and spelling. 

ASA formatting instructions can be found in an ASA style guide or visit the OWL website - https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/583/01/

I encourage students to meet with me to talk about their paper and any problems/confusion that may arise.

Note: A book review is not a book report. A book review is critical. It provides a thoughtful analysis and then your reaction. A book review tells not only what a book is about, but also how successful it is at what it is trying to do.

A book report is simply a summary of the contents of the book, without analysis or opinion.

You cannot review a publication you have not read. Skimming a work may give you the wrong impression of the author?s focus. You may miss relevant portions and make incorrect assumptions based on incomplete information. Read the entire book before writing the review. It may help to take brief notes as you read to help prepare your review.

Tips: First, start by including the book?s title, the author, date of publication, and the number of pages in the book.

Then provide background information in a few paragraphs: What is the book about? What is the research question/topic that the author is addressing? What research methods is the author using to get at the question/topic? What evidence is the author providing to make her/his case?

Then offer a summary of each chapter: What is the main point of each chapter? How do each of these chapters support the authors? argument? Each chapter should get at least a paragraph each.

The conclusion should include your critical evaluation of the book: Did the author do a convincing job addressing the question/topic she/he wanted to address? Did the book leave anything out? What possibilities are suggested by the book? Has it changed the way you view the topic? Did you learn anything new? What questions did the book make you think of? What did you agree and/or disagree with? What are your opinions/evaluations of the issue? How does the book relate to the readings we?ve discussed in class? What personal experiences have you had related to the subject? Would you recommend the book to others? Do not merely provide a summary of the story! Your review should be an informative and critical view on the issue. The conclusion/your critical evaluation should at least be 2 paragraphs.