Project 3
engl 298 section 3 ericsson
spring 2007
A: The Book
For this project you will read Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. You should read information about Carson's background as well her obituary which provides background information about the book. Your edition of the book has an introduction by Al Gore, which you should read as well.B: The Specialist
In addition to reading the book, you need to become a specialist on one supportive article, chapter, or other source on Carson and Silent Spring. It is your responsibility to become a specialist on a source that has scholarly worth. Here's an example of what I expect:
The WSU library provides 77 hits when searched for her name. More looking led me to Craig Waddell's book And No Birds Sing: Rhetorical Analyses of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. In that book there are nine chapters, each taking a different rhetorical slant on the book. I know there are nine chapters because I looked at the title on Amazon and could see the table of contents. I could become a specialist on any one of these chapters.
I could also look online for an authoritative source on Silent Spring. There are over six hundred thousands hits on the terms "Rachel Carson Silent Spring." Obviously not all of these will be scholarly. If I choose to become a specialist via an online source, I will need to make sure the source I choose is reliable. A narrower seach on something like "Rachel Carson Silent Spring bibliography" will probably get me to more scholarly sources.Doing some research before leaving for Spring Break so you can check out a book might be a good idea. If you are going to a city where you have access to good libraries, finding a source will not be too difficult. You need to photocopy the source so that you can hand it in with the writing you do for this project.
C: The Critical Book Review
You will write a Critical Book Review for this project. A Critical Book Review is not a book report or a summary. It is basically a reaction paper in which you point out strengths and weaknesses of the material, and how it helps -- or misleads you -- in understanding the content of your course. Here's a general outline to follow in order for you understand the genre.
A. Selection's topic, author and author's background
Questions to ask:
* Who is this author? Is he or she considered an expert in this topic?
* Does the author's background, time, or place affect the conclusions reached? Do you find an obvious bias?
* What is the author's point of view or frame of reference (usually found in the introduction or opening paragraphs)?
B. Selection's thesis and specific examples from the text.
Questions to ask:
* What is the author's major hypothesis; what's the purpose for writing this book?
* What are the most important pieces of evidence to support it?
C. Your (and/or other reviewers') objections/contrary views.
Questions to ask:
* What is the quality of the evidence -- convincing? adequate? are the sources recognized by others in the field?
* Does any of the author's information (or conclusion) conflict with other books you've read, courses you've taken or just previous assumptions you had of the subject?
*What information does your additional "specialist" information add to your understanding of the book?
* How might you resolve any conflict?
D. Selection's impact on you and other potential readers.
Questions to ask:
* Were any previous ideas you had on this subject changed or abandoned due to this book? were they reinforced?
* Would you recommend this book or article to others? Why?Schedule:
Read Silent Spring and your specialist material during Spring Break and the week following. We will not have class the week following Spring Break because I will be out of town at a conference. That means you have lots of time to work on this project. We will have class discussion on Silent Spring and your specialist articles on March 27 and 29. Your critical Book Review is due on March 29.
Rachel Carson
