Rubric for the Book Review
| Trait | Exemplary | Satisfactory | Unsatisfactory |
| Background (5 points) | Gives excellent information about author and intended audience, and scholarly credibility and importance of the book. | Gives some meaningful information about author and how book fits in scholarly debate. | Some background information is offered but is incomplete or inaccurate. |
| Summary (5 points) | Clearly describes the main theme, arguments, and conclusions of the book in his/her own words. Shows good understanding of main points and avoids superfluous
detail. |
Describes thesis, argument, and conclusions of book, but sometimes gets bogged down in detail. | Describes some elements of thesis and argument, but misses or misunderstands some parts of the book. Copy and paste rather than rephrasing arguments in the
book. |
| Economic Concepts, Theories, and Models (10 points) | A very clear depiction of key economic concepts, theories, and models used in the book. | Economic concepts, theories, and models used in
the book are moderately explained. |
Economic concepts, theories, and models used in the book
are NOT adequately explained. |
| Notes and highlights on the book (15) | All chapters have meaningful and significant number of notes and highlights showing the book was read thoroughly | Most chapters have meaningful and significant number of notes and highlights showing the book was read with good level of
understanding |
Only few chapters have meaningful and significant number of notes and highlights showing the book was NOT read thoroughly |
| Evidence or examples along your own views (15 points) | Perceptively describes the kinds of evidence/ examples used to support the claims in the book, shows strong ability to evaluate usefulness and relevance of evidence through relating them to your personal experience. | Describes some evidence used in the book, and shows some ability to evaluate usefulness and relevance of evidence through relating them to your personal experience. | Limited or no description of the evidence used in the book. |
| Critical review of the book’s arguments with your own comments (10 points) | Thoughtful evaluation of strengths and weaknesses of text, pointing to other evidence or questions that seem to support or weaken the argument. Shows a strong evidence of reading the book in its entirety. Discuss them
through your own experience. |
Shows some understanding of strengths and weaknesses of text, gives limited or no reference to other material. Discuss them through your own experience. | Mostly ignores critical evaluation of the book and focuses on summary. |
| Language (5 points) | The paper is written with perfect English without any
writing errors. |
The paper is written with good English with limited
writing errors. |
The paper is poorly writing with writing errors. |
| Length (5 points) | The paper is between 12-15 pages written with 12 points
font size, and 1.5 line space. |
The paper is between 9-11 pages written with 12 points
font size, and 1.5 line space. |
The paper is less than 9 pages written with 12 points font
size, and 1.5 line space. |
| References | References are given for anything taken from external sources. | References are largely given for anything taken
from external sources with few exceptions. |
References are NOT given at all. |
| Concluding recommendation (5 points) | Clear description of appropriate conclusions which can be
drawn from the results. |
Conclusions relating to the research topic are provided
but have some inaccuracies. |
Conclusions drawn from the study are inaccurate. |
NOTE: I will use software to compare your book review paper with existing documents on Internet. In case of partial or complete plagiarism, there will be ZERO tolerance. You will get ZERO for the paper. Please make sure that the paper is original and written in your own words. THE REVIEW of EXISTING REVIEWS is not ACCEPTABLE.
Your book review grade will be based on the following elements:
- Your notes on the book
- Book review report
- One-to-one oral discussion through 10 questions or a written exam
You will get up to 20 marks as bonus for your final exam grade based on your if you fulfill the requirements above.
If you fail to get 50 out of 100 in the written/oral exam for the book, you will get -10 points for the final exam.
Outline for the Book Review Paper
- Title Page
- Background (5 points)
- Summary (5 points)
- Economic Concepts, Theories, and Models (10 points)
- Notes and highlights on the book (15)
- Evidence or examples with your own comments (15 points)
- Critical review of the book’s arguments with your own view on the core arguments in the book (10 points)
- Language (5 points)
- Length (5 points)
- References
- Concluding recommendation based on your own view of the book (5 points)
Submitting the physical copy of the book with notes and taking an Assessment
You are expected to highlight and/or stick some notes expressing your views of arguments while reading the book. That is evidence of how much you engage with the book while reading. You need to submit the book with notes to me a week before the oral discussion or written exam. You are also required to submit your written book review report before the assessment.
