Article Review on Andrew Pearson’s Piracy in Late Roman Britain

Read the article and write a review piece on it.
There are several objectives with this assignment: 1. learn how to identify the main
arguments of a secondary source, 2. explain how an argument is structured, 3. understand
how historians use evidence and primary sources to back up their claims, 4. practice
academic style writing, 5. develop critical thinking skills
When writing your article review, these are the key questions to consider:
What is the author’s subject? It is narrow or broad?
What is the thesis statement? How clearly and effectively is the thesis stated?
How does the author structure their argument?
What evidence/sources does the author use?
Is the author building off of other historians’ work? Is he challenging old assumptions or
supporting them?
Is the evidence adequate and convincing to support the argument?
Is the argument balanced? Has the author addressed opposing points of view?
How would you characterize the author’s writing and writing style?
What questions are left unasked or unanswered? What further research could follow?

academic style writing, 5. develop critical thinking skills
When writing your article review, these are the key questions to consider:
What is the author’s subject? It is narrow or broad?
What is the thesis statement? How clearly and effectively is the thesis stated?
How does the author structure their argument?
What evidence/sources does the author use?
Is the author building off of other historians’ work? Is he challenging old assumptions or
supporting them?
Is the evidence adequate and convincing to support the argument?
Is the argument balanced? Has the author addressed opposing points of view?
How would you characterize the author’s writing and writing style?
What questions are left unasked or unanswered? What further research could follow?

Last Completed Projects