Sophomore Seminar: Dancing in the Streets
Instructions for the Book Review Project I (Eck/Deep Blues) and Grading RubricThis is a challenging project, but, if you following the rubric below, you will accomplish the objectives of the assignment. The rubric is provided to guide you and to make sure you know exactly how you will be graded.Instructions:Read the assigned chapters, 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8, in Diana Ecks book, Encountering God as well as the entire book, Deep Blues. Think about the material in the video shown in class, Goin to Chicago, and how it connects to both these texts. This is an essay, based on reading and research. It must demonstrate that you not only read the material but understand how the material is connected. Your paper should contain:
an introduction that states Palmers analytical thesis and relates this thesis to the themes developed in Ecks book
an integrated body of subsequent paragraphs that summarizes Palmers book, analyzes his major themes, and demonstrates how his thesis is connected to the ideas presented in Ecks book, the Goin to Chicago video, and the three guiding questions for the Sophomore Seminar (make sure to refer to and support your statement about the thesis, and cite specific examples from the readings, video and course materials to support your assertions)
a concluding paragraphGrading Rubric and Outline for the Book Review:1.Introduction
The paper must have an introduction that clearly states what your book review is arguing. It must accurately state Palmers analytical thesis and it should show how his thesis relates to the themes presented in Diana Ecks book.
4 points2.Summary and analysis
Provide a brief synopsis of the book. In your summary, make sure to answer some of the questions provided to you in the handout, Guiding Questions for Reading Deep Blues. In other words, show that you have read the book and understood his thesis.
Then, provide an analysis of what Palmer was trying to accomplish in his book. Discuss how the stories told by Palmer address his final concluding question about how much history can be transmitted by pressure on a guitar string?
Describe how the stories told by Palmer about the early blues musicians and the migration of black music from its origins in the Delta up the Mississippi to Chicago are related to the ideas in the Diana Eck book and to the information presented in the video, Goin to Chicago, as well as other materials presented in class.
5 points3.Conclusion
In your conclusion, address the contribution and legacy of blues music and why the study of this music and African American culture contributes to our understanding of diversity and community. How do the themes addressed in Palmers book relate to Ecks book and how do they both help us answer the three central questions addressed in the Sophomore Seminars, i.e., How does group membership affect identity; What are the causes and effects of inequality between and within groups? What does it mean to live in a diverse community?
4 points4. Format
This project must be word-processed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins and 12-point font, five-page minimum, but can be longer. You will lose points for grammar, punctuation and spelling errors. Make sure to place your name, date, and the course name in the right hand corner. The paper must have title. All pages must be stapled in the upper left hand corner.
2 points