Fractivism

Paper details:

“The chief value of book reviewing is in its continuation of the conversation started in a book, in situating the work in wider discussions within the field and therefore of seeing academic books not as the final product of a singular genius, but as part of an ongoing, shifting, discursive and collective process of scholarship. – Katherine Farrimond, LSE Review of Books, 2018, quoted at: https://antipodefoundation.org/book-reviews/ (Links to an external site.) Instructions: Write a 3-4 page (double-spaced) critically-engaged book review of Fractivism, exploring and analyzing some of the book’s themes through a well-structured essay. By well-structured essay, I mean that you should organize your ideas into standard essay format, including: title, thesis, carefully organized body paragraphs, and a conclusion that asks new questions or introduces an idea you haven’t yet explored (see below for clarification on each of these essay elements). The the paper must be at least 3 ½ pages to receive full credit. Upload your paper to the course Canvas website, under the “Assignments” tab. We will discuss what makes a good, critically-engaged book review in class, and you can also check out the following websites: Antipode Foundation: https://antipodefoundation.org/book-reviews/ (Links to an external site.) Book Forum: http://www.bookforum.com/review/ (Links to an external site.) New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/section/books/review (Links to an external site.) * * * * * Essay Elements Title Titles are hard to write! We only require that you have one (we won’t be grading you on its quality). Still, here is a good resource for writing an effective title, from the University of Minnesota Center for Writing: http://writing.umn.edu/sws/assets/pdf/quicktips/titles.pdf (Links to an external site.) Thesis statement For this assignment, your thesis statement should: Offer your own interpretation and/or evaluation of the text at hand. Your thesis statement should go beyond mere summary or description of the text. Make a claim that others might dispute (offer an argument). The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation. Your thesis statement can be between 1-3 sentences. Body Paragraphs Each body paragraph should serve a specific function in relation to the whole of the essay. Paragraphs should include evidence in support of your claims (for this book review, facts or quotes from the book itself). When you include evidence (in the form of quotes or concrete details), don’t just offer that evidence “as is,” rather I would like you to analyze, interpret, and make connections between that piece of evidence and your broader claims (e.g. “make it work!”). For example, if you use quotes, make sure you take time to unpack and analyze those quotes for your reader. Conclusion Your concluding thoughts should not merely say what you’ve said before. Go (at least) one step beyond your thesis statement…pose a set of questions or offer concluding thoughts (that you haven’t already stated). Take risks and be bold! On Citations for the Book Review: If you make controversial claims about a social issue related to the book, or conduct outside research for the book review (which is not necessary!) you must cite your sources, using APA or Chicago Manual of Style format. If you have any question about this, ask me. You may use additional readings in the course reader (but please cite according) For any quotes from the book, you must include the page number. You don’t need a works cited page if you are just quoting from Fractivism.