Reference no: EM132258365
BIOGRAPHY ASSIGNMENT
Overview: It has been proven that writing in history class helps students learn and retain information. Academic biographies are especially useful for this purpose due to their format and use of primary source materials.
Thus the intention of this assignment is to familiarize students with United States history by writing an informed and articulate review of a specific American biography. All components of this assignment are directed towards the completion of critical review of a major biography in United States history.
Instructions: Students are free to choose their own topics, subject to my approval. I encourage students to choose topics that personally interest them. For example, students interested in politics may wish to select a president like Andrew Jackson or Abraham Lincoln. It is your responsibility to do some preliminary research on your subject and consult with me before you begin your project.
Once you have chosen your topic, you must choose a book. Students are free to select a book of their own choosing, subject to my approval. Books should be around three hundred pages in length and from a reputable publisher (such as an academic or major commercial press.) At the end of this document is a list of preapproved books.
Your paper itself a critical analysis of the book that you have read. The review may be positive, negative, or qualified. You must analyze (not just summarize) the book's structure and argument, use of source materials, readability, and overall usefulness to people in learning about United States history through the life of your subject.
Papers should be free of grammatical and typographical errors.
Required format:
• Font - Use either Times New Roman (12pt), Calibri (11pt), or Arial (11pt).
• Margins - 1 inch margins all around
• Page numbers starting with 1 at the bottom and centered on each page after the cover sheet.
• Double-space, do not include extra spacing between paragraphs.
• Reviews should be at least three full pages. There is no maximum length. The cover sheet and works cited do not count towards the three page minimum.
• Name, full title of book review prefixed with "Review of," course information (class and section number), and date should be single spaced, center aligned, and placed in middle of the cover sheet.