Book Review Final

Draft due: March 6 by 2p @ Canvas. I will provide feedback on the draft for any needed revisions.

Final due: March 20 by 2p @ Canvas.

Framework

The goal of this assignment is to give you some space to reflect in detail on Marwick’s book The Private is Political  (graduate students can select another title with prior approval from me but it must fit within the scope of the course). Rather than simply describing what each chapter does, your essay should be analytic in tone.

You should address who the intended audience for the book is, as well as the aims and context the author gives for the work (addressing a gap in the field/a current debate/building out a new domain/etc). Select a couple issues/themes that highlight the argument(s) the author is making, evidence presented, and your thoughtful evaluation of it. You should be utilizing the genre conventions & approaches that you’ve seen in some of the academic book reviews you looked up in the book review analysis assignment you completed.

You are welcome to draw on other academic literature within media studies/communication/sociology to bolster your position (make sure to cite it properly), though it’s not required. While different people will have different key takeaways, you should also strive to engage with the book at a high enough level that, if someone only reads your review, they would get a good general sense of the work.

You should approach this task as both a generous and careful reader. Working in a critical mode doesn’t mean “negative” but instead suggests a engaged, analytic, and evaluative investigation. You certainly may have critiques, but make sure you have done your best to think about how the author might respond, and situate your criticism accordingly.

Specs

1000 words (+/- 10% wordcount is fine but otherwise work to specification), double-spaced, PDF.

Writing assistance

Writing short assignments are also their own kind of challenge. Honing what you think, being concise, and making tough decisions about what is crucial to include are key components of this kind of work. Don’t shortchange yourself on the time you spend on this.

In addition to the feedback I will be giving you on your draft, don’t forget there is a fantastic Writing Center (http://cmsw.mit.edu/writing-and-communication-center/) here at MIT whose mission is to help all members of the community with work such as this.

Late work

Please refer to the syllabus for the policy on late work.