First Writing Assignment Instructions: 1. Go to Page Library and choose a feature article

First Writing Assignment

Instructions:

1. Go to Page Library and choose a feature article from a recent issue (published within the last 20 years) of the Missouri Historical Review. The article that you read for this assignment must be at least ten pages in length!

2. Read the article carefully and critically.

3. Prepare a 2-3 page review of the article that you read from the Missouri Historical Review evaluating its strengths and weaknesses.

4. Include a reference at the end of your essay providing the bibliographic information about the article that you read. Failure to do so will result in a grade of 0 for this assignment.

4. Submit essay via Canvas by the start of class on Monday, March 2, 2015.

Friendly Advice for Preparing Your Review Essay:

There are three crucial elements that must be present in your review essay:

1. A summary of the author’s central argument or “thesis.” Carefully look for the main point that the author is trying to prove and explain this main idea using your own words. This should take about ½ to 1 page to complete.

2. A critical examination of the arguments and ideas within the article. The author will undoubtedly present a variety of evidence to support his/her thesis statement as well as several arguments in addition to the main thesis. Carefully examine the author’s arguments and analyze whether or not the evidence presented within the essay truly “proves” that the thesis is true. This section should make up the bulk of your paper, about 1-1½ pages.

3. Give your personal opinion of the article. Was it easy to read? Did you learn anything interesting? Was the article convincing in its arguments? How good was the article in general? This should be a short section at the end of your paper, and it should only be about ½ page in length.

4. For additional advice on how to write a review essay, please see http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/book-reviews/ (Links to an external site.) or http://historyprofessor.org/reading/how-to-write-a-review/ (Links to an external site.).