HIST 114: World History in the 20th Century (Online Course)
Extended Winter 2019 (100 points)
Book Review1 Instructions – Due January 18
Topic: While reviewing dates, significant players and events dictates a part of the
study of history, reading and contextualizing literature is another aspect. Indeed, contrary
to what one political scientist said about history that it is, “just one damn thing after
another,” historical studies oftentimes also incorporate literary and artistic review.
For this Book Review, you are required to read…
Wiesel, Elie. Night. New York: Bantam Books, 1982.
Throughout this course, we are going to analyze several different periods of history, as
well as the rise and fall of multiple totalitarian states. Wiesel’s book provides a survivor’s
account of the Holocaust’s final years. It primarily takes place from 1944-45.
Part 1 Book Summary: The first part of the assignment is to summarize the book’s
contents (200-250 words, 1 page). Make sure to describe the story’s setting (this includes
the time and location of when the story takes place) as well as the protagonist’s history
and roles. You also ought to describe the story’s major plotline and outcome.
Part 2 Book Review: The second part of the assignment is to compare Wiesel’s book to
the historical reality (600-750 words, 2-3 pages) How does Wiesel’s book reflect a
particular chapter of World History? Is it accurate or filled with exaggerations? What are
Wiesel’s intentions in publishing this book, and do they interfere or help illustrate this
period of history? Does Wiesel skip any significant historical facts? Make sure to support
your paper with citations from the book.
I encourage you to organize your paper by using subsection titles for the first and
second part of this assignment.
Research: You must use at least four academic sources. Only one of these sources is
Wiesel’s book. The other three sources must come from academic journals or
monographs (refer to the library trail assignment). A number of academics, literary
critics, and political circles have written about Night. Only use sources written by
professional academics, critics, and political pundits.
You will acquire more than enough research materials by successfully completing
your E-library trail assignment. However, the following includes some suggestions on
where you ought to look (and not look) for academic sources.
Academic journals are the safest as they usually go through a review process that
weeds out the incompetent, fraudulent and overly biased. You can usually trust a journal
1
Note this is a book review assignment, not a book report. A review consists of a brief summary of the
books contents, and then a lengthier section that analyzes the text’s themes and concepts. It is not a bad
idea to go onto JSTOR and to read some book reviews of non-fiction works you have read in the past to
acquaint yourself with the requirements of this assignment.
if it is published by a major university press. A simple subject search in the library
catalogue will yield several possibilities. Articles from scholarly journals are usually
excellent. If you see a reference to a journal article, try looking it up – the library holds
many, many serials.
The internet has masses of information. However, be very careful. Many web
sites are outright frauds. Many simply repeat the errors of others. Many are purely
personal, and reflect the author’s prejudices rather than scholarly analysis. Many are too
lightweight to support a serious argument. You should stick to academic and institutional
sites: an .edu site is probably safe, and an .org site is possibly safe. In taking notes on the
internet, be sure to record the precise URL, which you will need for citations.
The MC Library History website has a guide to evaluating research at
http://libguides.montgomerycollege.edu/history?hs=a&gid=2890.
There are resources available for all of these books in MC’s libraries. Do not wait
until the week before this assignment is due to locate and research your sources. Make
sure to take thorough notes on your research.
Writing: If research is the work of history, then writing is the art. Writing in a
clear and organized manner will assist the reader in understanding what you are saying
and following your argument(s). Content is certainly important, but if the reader cannot
understand what you are saying, then it does not matter how much research you put into
this assignment.
Write in full literary English. If you use the same conventions that you use on
email and text messaging, I probably won’t understand it. Likewise, use formal English.
If your language is not serious, your essay will not be taken seriously.
Each paragraph should run 3-5 sentences, and should have one central event or
idea. Longer paragraphs tend to lose the main thread. In addition, make sure that you
write in full sentences: subject, verb, predicate. Do not mash multiple sentences together,
separated by commas.
Make sure to provide page numbers on your submitted paper. All of the
Montgomery College Writing Centers are great resources that I encourage you to use.
Citations: A paper without any citations will receive an automatic zero. A paper
with only partial citations will lose points. History papers demand research and giving
credit to where credit’s due. You may use the MLA, APA, Chicago or Turabian citation
methods as long as you are consistent throughout the entire paper. The MC Library
website provides guidelines for the APA citation method. Regardless of the citation type
you use (such as APA), you must include page numbers in your in-text citations (this
is not optional).
Refer to this course’s syllabus subsection “Academic Integrity,” in regards to
when you ought to cite your work. If you have any concerns or questions about when to
cite your work, ask me.
Grading: This paper is worth 100 points. Combined with the e-library trail
assignment, it is 30% of this course’s grade. An A paper will meet the following
requirements:
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The paper is written in a clear and organized matter. The reader is never confused
about the writer’s main points, arguments and chronology of historical events.
The paper is centered on a clear thesis statement. Throughout the entire paper, the
writer reinforces their primary argument by continually referring to the Wiesel’s book
and by using academic sources.
All of the assignment’s questions are answered in an accurate, clear and organized
manner.
All citations follow a proper MLA, APA, Chicago or Turabian style throughout the
entire paper. The paper’s conclusion is followed by a bibliography, not a works cited
section. There should be at least two citations per page.
The paper is accompanied with page numbers and does not exceed 1,000 words.
Please do not start the first page by putting your text halfway down the page or put in
large headers/footers on each page. I have seen a number of tricks that increase page
numbers and none of them work.
I will create a drop box for this assignment under week 5’s course content, of which
you ought to submit your file by January 18.
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