General assignment description For this report you are to choose a book from the list that is provided the rst week of class (see content section of course), read your chosen book, and then write a 4-5 page report that is divided into the parts identi ed in the assignment instructions that follow. Why is this assignment important? This assignment is important because it gives students an opportunity to go outside class content and explore a speci c area of interpersonal communication in signi cantly more depth than is o ered in the course. I realize many people do not read much and perhaps haven’t read an entire book in years, please do not let that get in your way of completing this assignment. I intentionally give you a very broad range of books to choose from so you can choose a book that will actually have personal meaning to you and have the potential to make a signi cant contribution to your learning in this course. How many points is this assignment worth? Your book report will be worth 100 points. How do I know what book to read? Read through the book list (found in the content section of the course), perhaps going to some of the links provided to determine which book you perceive would be most interesting for you to read at this point in your life. Book Report Instructions Use the headings in the assignment instructions below in your paper to organize the di erent required sections. PART I: Summary (10 points) In your summary you need to demonstrate an understanding of the content and NOT just give an overview of main subject/chapters headings. Be sure you communicate ALL THE KEY CONCEPTS in the book in this section. PART II: Apply Class Concepts (50 points) In this section you are to demonstrate an understanding of 3-4 class concepts as you apply them to course cotent. In other words, choose class concepts that you think come alive or are exempli ed in your book. Before discussing the concepts in reference to your book you must demonstrate you understand the concept. Simply writing a one-sentence de nition of a concept does not demonstrate an understanding of the concept. Discuss how the book connects with and/or overlaps with course content. Be speci c. Make sure you demonstrate an understanding of and connection to course AND your book report book. For example, just choosing nonverbal communication is far too broad; there is an entire lecture and chapter dedicated to nonverbal. Rather than choosing the broad concept of nonverbal communication choose something more speci c like kinesics or occulesics. Similarly, rather than saying the concept perception overlaps with book material (again, too broad), choose something like self-ful lling prophecies or perhaps one of the speci c barriers to accurate perception. In this section you must use at least ONE quote from your book report book FOR EACH CONCEPT (not textbook, although that would also be acceptable) to demonstrate the connection from the book to our course. Each concept discussed should be expressed on one full, well-developed paragraph. An introductory and concluding paragraph is also required in this section. This will be the longest section of your paper. PART III: Review (30 points) — In this section review the book personally and critically. In the personal review section identify: (1) What you liked; (2) What you found challenging or didn’t like (it is not acceptable to say there was nothing you didn’t like. If you liked everything about the book then use this space to write about what else you would’ve like the author to discuss, what more information would you have liked?; and (3) discuss what you learned from the book. In the critical review section of the report identify: (1) How does book content square with the material you have learned in the class? Here you don’t just talk about speci c concepts (you did that in Part II), you re ect on course content and book as a whole. Evaluate the content from a critical perspective. In academia the word “critical” in reference to “review” doesn’t mean to judge or criticize; rather to be critical means you are to question the material and opinions you have read and present your evaluation of that material. A critical review requires re ection and analysis. A critical review demonstrates you are capable of viewing ideas from a di erent perspective, sometimes very di erent. When you share your understanding of the material in this section you are demonstrating you understand the purpose of the book and are able to evaluate the material from that perspective. Your review section should be 3-5 well-developed paragraphs. PART IV: Summary (10 points) O er a general summary and conclusion for your review. In this section make sure to include who might bene t most from reading this book and why (demographic, psychological, sociological information . . .) This section should be 1-2 paragraphs long.
