You must turn you paper in during class. You must staple the Rubric to the front of your paper.
This paper is your 10+ page analysis (not counting title page and reference list) of a popular
press book about leadership. I have provided a pre-approved list of books. If you select a book
from this list you do not need to let me know. However, if you find a book not on this list you
would like to review—just let me know. I will at least review the table of contents and
read/peruse a few chapters; I will then let you know if the book will work for this assignment. In
either case (choosing from the list or finding your own), you should choose your book carefully.
You should be interested in the topic and the book you choose must have enough substance to
allow you to write the critique.
At its most basic, your critique is an analysis of the author’s arguments in light of academic
research (e.g., peer-review or recognized scholarly source). As you consider your critique
remember that a critique is not only negative. You may want to include elements of the author’s
arguments that support or extend the academic research you locate. While you may utilize
readings from class in your analysis, you must incorporate at least six academic sources as
well. In this type of analysis, you should not report on each source and its relation to the
author’s argument individually—rather you are building broader arguments that might utilize
several sources. And don’t be afraid to use more than six sources.
As you think about your overall argument, you might begin by considering the following
questions:
Would this book be helpful to leaders (you may want to consider different contexts here)?
What are the overall strengths and weaknesses (you may consider both style and content)?
How do the author’s arguments compare/fit with other authors you have read?
What arguments, examples, evidence, etc. does the author use well?
What’s missing, if anything, from the book?
You should carefully read the Rubric as it provides detailed requirements for the paper. As
always, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact me.
