GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE SEMESTER PROJECT BOOK REVIEW
Dr. Andy Howard
BCPS ITP
originally developed by Dr. Sharon Quiroz,
Director of Communication Across the Curriculum
Oct. 30 and Nov.1, 2001

The semester project is due in draft form on Friday, 2 December 2005. The revised version is due 1700 hours, Saturday December 17. The review should be 1200 to 2500 words. The draft may be turned in online, but it should be a substantial one.

Follow these guidelines because this is a lesson in how to design text (your writing) to meet different purposes and audiences, and in how to make sense of what you read.

NOTE: Downloading a review from the Internet and turning it in as your own work is stupid several times: First, it is dishonest. Second, it violates the copyright laws, which are like the patent laws. Third, it deprives you of the opportunity to learn how to design text (your writing) to meet different purposes and audiences, and in how to make sense of what you read. Downloaded papers, which are very easy to spot, will receive no credit and you will not be permitted a second chance.

Writing it:

1. Give your essay a title that is a clue to your primary claim.
2. In the introduction, be sure to tell what the topic is, what book you are reviewing , who wrote it and when they wrote it.
3. Also in the introduction, be sure to make it clear why this book is important. What does it have to do with Professor Howard's class? What does it have to do with other things that are happening? Is there anyone that you know of doing genomes these days? Cloning? What about the claim that biology will be the physics of the new century?)
4. Tell readers what you think about it. (Genetic engineering is doing something new. Genetic engineering is dangerous. Genetic engineering of plant life will save the world population. Genetic engineering of plant life sounds good. I'm just worried about it.)
5. In the body of the essay, lay out a logical sequence of claims and evidence in support of what you think. Let the reader know what that organization is, and then stick to it. Use a conclusion.
6. Be sure that you give enough material to support your claim. Be even surer that you are not just summarizing the book. You do need to tell us what is there, but you need to tell us how that affects your claim. This is YOUR essay, not the other author's.
7. Make sure that transitions between sentences and paragraphs guide the reader to make the connections you are making. Think about whether you are simply adding more of the same information (and, moreover), changing directions (but, however), or hypothosizing (if...then, in that case...)
8. By now you probably know what kind of language problems you tend to have: its vs. it's; there/their/they're, too many prepositions in a row (up off of the couch). Without reading every sentence, look for these trouble spots and fix them.
9. Read your paper aloud to your roommate before you turn it in. If you have accidentally said something that makes you sound dumb, you can catch it right away by reading it to someone. Or even better, have him/her read it to you. When your roommate looks puzzled and stops reading, you have a problem. Not your roomy. You.