What is the historical message or idea the author wants to convey?

Short Paper Assignment: The Review Essay

Your review essay should be 2-3 pages (700-900 words) in length.
It should be double-spaced and use a standard academic font such as Times, 12 point or
something similar.
Assignment:
This assignment is designed to develop critical reading and analysis skills and deepen your
understanding of academic practice. Writing a critical review of an article (or book) requires
that you consider a large amount of complex information, analyze it, identify its significance,
and then accurately communicate its meaning in just a few paragraphs. (These are skills that
employers continually say they highly desire and are also at the heart of studying the social
sciences and humanities.)

The review essay should consist of four paragraphs. Do not skip any of the required four paragraphs.

• In the first paragraph, identify the thesis of the chapter or article or book.
To find the thesis, ask yourself: What is the answer to the question of why the author is
writing about the topic? Why does the research in this piece matter? What is the historical
message or idea the author wants to convey? The goal of this opening paragraph is to
demonstrate that you have identified the author’s thesis or a main point of the reading.

• The second paragraph is to contain a concise summary of the reading.
Here you want to spell out the main points of the selected reading or explain the steps the
author used to prove the thesis or develop the argument. You need to be concise while raising
the central points of the reading.

• In the third paragraph analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the reading.
There are several possible approaches to this paragraph. As ideas for evaluating strength and
weakness, you might consider: What part of the author’s argument or discoveries or
scholarship is most compelling or persuasive? Where does the argument fall short or fail to
persuade you? You might evaluate if/how the historical evidence supports the author’s
argument. Is something missing from this piece of scholarship, or how might a different
approach to the research or topic have been more enlightening? Your unique voice or views
should be present in this paragraph.

• In the final paragraph, place the reading into the context of our course.
Ideas to consider: How does this piece connect with the topics and themes we are studying or
fit in with our course as a whole? What does it add to your understanding of the history of
Shanghai? How does it compare to the other pieces we are reading or topics we are discussing?
Your unique voice should be strongly present in this paragraph.
Remember: It can be harder to write a short paper than a long one. With length limited, it is
crucial that you write precisely and not waste space merely repeating what the author said
instead of presenting your own ideas.
Once more, the goal of this assignment is not to summarize the readings but instead write what
you think about the author’s work, by focusing on what the author is trying to do in the
reading beyond its factual content.

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