The Enlightenment
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If you choose read a book for extra credit, you must review it, not just summarize it. I expect you to analyze it and criticize it to the best of your ability, in accordance with these guidelines.

If you choose to review a secondary source, e.g. a book written by a historian about past events, your review should contain the following elements:
(1)Brief description of book and author: In a sentence, what is the book about? When was it written? Who wrote it, and what is his/her background? If the book doesn’t contain any information about the author(s), check with a librarian. There are several standard reference books in the University Library that will give you some basic background information on individual authors.
(2)Identification of thesis: Nearly all scholarly books have a thesis, or central argument. What is the author’s argument? Is the argument clearly made? Does the author appear to have a particular point-of-view, bias, or "axe to grind"? Note: the book?s ?thesis? is not the same as its ?purpose.? If, for example, you are reading a history of classical Sparta, please don?t tell me that the author?s thesis ?is to write a history of classical Sparta.? That?s not a thesis. Failure to identify a book?s thesis correctly will result in a significant loss in points (see below).
(3)Summary: This should be relatively brief. Discuss the subject matter of the book in a little more detail, showing how the author pursues his/her thesis throughout the book. Do not, however, make the summary the main point of the review. If your review consists entirely, or even mostly, of summary, then you will receive little or no credit for the review.
(3)Analysis/critique: This is the most important part of the review. How consistent is the author’s thesis? How well does the author back up the book’s thesis with factual evidence? Does the book seem startlingly new, or is it merely a retelling of well-known facts and interpretations? Does the author seem to have a particular bias, and how does the author’s background influence the book? To whom would you recommend this book? Here you actually have to tell me why you think the way that you do about this book, using examples when necessary. Please do not simply state ?The author was very consistent with his thesis? or that ?the author uses factual evidence to back up her argument.? How does the author demonstrate this thesis throughout the book? Exactly what kind of factual evidence does the author employ? A brief or vague analysis will not earn you very many points. And if you are going to recommend this book, specify a particular type of reader (e.g. a specialist in the topic, someone who already knows a great deal about the topic, general readers, etc.), and not something like ?I would recommend this book to my friend Joe, because he likes to read about stuff.?

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