AP Modern European History

Mr. Kozol
DWPs and Book Reviews

Below are instructions for completion of Discovering the Western Past (DWP)
assignments and book reviews.

I. Assignments from Discovering the Western Past

A. Begin each report with the proper bibliographic entry. The following is a
sample:

Chapter One. "The Spread of the Reformation." Discovering the Western Past,
Volume II. By Merry E. Wiesner, Julius R. Ruff, and William Bruce
Wheeler (eds). (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008.)

B. The last paragraph of the section entitled "The Problem" of each DWP
chapter lists the question(s) to be answered. If the questions are not there ask me for
assistance. Your task is to provide a well-supported answer to these questions.

C. There are other questions posed in each chapter (in "The Method,"
"Questions to Consider" and "Epilogue"). DO NOT answer these questions. Answer
only the questions described in B above.

D. Your "well-supported answer" must refer to the documents, pictures,

readings and other sources in the DWP chapter. In other words, use the "Evidence" to
support your answer.

E. NOTE: Your answer is not to be a mere summary of the evidence. It is to be

a response to the questions posed, with the evidence used to support your conclusions.
In grading DWPs, I will credit you only for evidence used to support your answer, NOT
for evidence that is merely summarized.

F. For each question posed, state that question before you begin your
response.

G. For each question posed, there must be an introduction which precedes the
narrative of your answer and a conclusion which follows it.

H. With respect to the paragraphs of your narrative, do not begin any of them
with the name of a source of evidence. Begin all paragraphs of your narrative with a
thesis statement. Then, in the body of the paragraph, support your thesis statement
with applicable evidence. It is at that point that you cite and describe sources.

I. As you analyze the sources in the DWP, take into account both the sources of
the documents and the authors' point of view. I will take into account your ability to
assess these two factors in determining whether you properly analyzed and used a
particular source, or merely summarized it.

J. Avoid using direct quotes. If you do use them, you must indicate their source.
Failure to provide proper citation constitutes plagiarism.

K. Strategy: for each question, go through the evidence and make an outline
before you draft your response.

L. I will check to see that all of the questions have been answered and all of the
evidence has been used.

M. There is no length requirement. Do a thorough job.

N. The paper must be word-processed, and you should proofread for

grammatical, spelling, and technical errors. Review the file entitled Common Student
Errors on History Papers.

O. Do not attach a cover page or report cover. Simply place your name, the
date, and the class period in the upper right hand corner of the first page of the paper.

P. For each DWP you will receive an evaluation form indicating your grade. A
sample follows these instructions.

AP Modern European History

Mr. Kozol

RESEARCH EVALUATION

Name
Assignment

Content (Possible Points in Parentheses)

Question 1 (20)

Question 2 (20)

Source 1 (4)

Source 2 (4)

Source 3 (4)

Source 4 (4)

Source 5 (4)

Source 6 (4)

Source 7 (4)

Source 8 (4)

Source 9 (4)

Source 10 (4)

Total Points for Content (80):

Comments on Content:
Mechanics (Possible Points in Parentheses)

Grammar (10)

Following Instructions (5)

Introductions/Conclusions (3)

Bibliographic Entry (2)

Total Points for Mechanics (20):

Comments on Mechanics:

Content Points Plus Mechanics Points

Late Penalty (One Grade Per Day Late)

TOTAL POINTS FOR ASSIGNMENT

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II. Book Reviews

Always begin a book review with a bibliographic entry. This entry should be completed in the
following standard format:

African Americans in the Colonial Era: From African Origins through the American Revolution.
By Donald R. Wright. (Arlington Heights, IL: Harlan Davidson, Inc., 1990.)

The body of the review contains all, or most, of the following sections:

1. Information about the author. What are his/her credentials? This information is typically
found on the book cover, book jacket, or first page. Please do not write a biography of the author.
One or two lines are sufficient.

2. Summary of content. Describe the scope of the book and the sort of information contained
therein. The content may be summarized thematically, by chapter, or by some combination thereof.
Be careful how much space you devote to your content summary. While your summary must be
thorough enough to convince me that you have read the entire book, it should not constitute more
than half your essay. It should also be balanced. This means, for example, that 2/3 of the content
summary should not cover only the first 10 pages of the book.

3. Thesis or theses. Discuss the author's main point(s). Please note that a book will typically
contain multiple theses. Also comment on whether or not the author's arguments are persuasive,
and tell me why or why not.

4. Evidence. What types of evidence does the author use to support his/her thesis or theses?
Does the author use mostly primary sources, secondary sources, or a combination thereof? Provide
an example of each. Further, tell me how well the author uses the evidence to support his/her
arguments.

5. Style. Discuss the author's use of language, organization, clarity, and readability. You
must also assess the intended audience. That is, is the book written for the intelligent lay person or
the professional historian? Perhaps it is useful for both. You must also note whether the book
contains any valuable ancillaries, such as indices, bibliographies, maps, charts, or illustrations. If
there are such ancillaries, note what they show you.

6. Your assessment. Tell me whether you think the book is well written. Are the author's
arguments logical? Does he/she back them up sufficiently? Did you learn anything or see a new
way of looking at something you already knew? Do not be afraid to praise or criticize the book.
While the author may know more about the specific subject matter of the book, you are an intelligent
member of the reading public and are certainly in a reasonable position to judge whether the author
made sense and wrote well.

Please note that I do not want section headings for each of the above issues, and they do not
have to be addressed in the order I have listed them. In fact, you may combine the answers to a
 6

number of the questions I have raised, if it strengthens your book review. Just make sure you
thoroughly cover as many of the above matters as possible.

Finally, you must word-process the book review. Further, your book review must be between
1000 and 1500 words (four to six double-spaced pages). Make sure to avoid grammatical, spelling,
and punctuation errors. I am providing a list of such errors to assist you. Careful proof-reading can
eliminate many of these mistakes.

You are not to attach a cover page or a cover. Simply make sure your name and class period,
as well as the date, are included in the top right-hand corner of the first page of your review. Fasten
your review with one staple in the top left-hand corner.

For each book review you will receive an evaluation form indicating your grade. A sample
follows these instructions.
 7

AP Modern European History

Mr. Kozol

EVALUATION OF BOOK REVIEW

Name

Book

Content (Possible Points in Parentheses):

Information About Author (1)

Summary Breadth (40)

Summary Depth (20)

Thesis (10)

Evidence (6)

Style (6)

Your Assessment (4)

Total Content Points (87)

Comments on Content:
 8

Mechanics (Possible Points in Parentheses):

Bibliographic Entry (2)

Grammar (8)

Instructions (3)

Total Mechanics Points (13)

Comments on Mechanics:

Content Points Plus Mechanics Points

Late Penalty (One Grade Per Day Late)

TOTAL POINTS FOR BOOK REVIEW