BOOK REVIEW

Guidelines, Instructions, and Rubric

GEGA1000 MACAO AND CHINESE CIVILIZATION NOT FOR CIRCULATION

The Assignment

• Write a review of ONE book about the history of Macau 书评

• Choose One of the two compulsory readings Or One book from the list of
supplementary readings (listed in the course syllabus)

• extra 5 bonus points for doing extra reading if you choose to review a
supplementary list book
Instructions

• The book review accounts for 15% of your nal grade

• It is due on 15 March - submit to Moodle
• The length should be 800-1000 words (in English) in formal academic prose.
You may exceed the upper limit of 1000 words by 10% (i.e. up to 1100 words)

• You must include a word count at the end of the review.

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Guidelines

• The review of the book should be balanced, that is you should consider both the
positive and the negative, the strengths and/or the weaknesses of the book.

• The review should contain a clear, direct argument to either of these two questions:
• Is the book useful for students of Macau history?
• Would you recommend the book to others? Why or why not?
• Even though you consider both the book’s strengths and weaknesses, you should
still have a nal argument/position about the usefulness or value of the book.

• You should present an explicit statement of your argument in the introduction of your
review.
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Guidelines

• Your arguments and comments must be supported by evidence from the book. You
can cite pages from the book using parentheses, e.g. “Braga suggests that “it took
some time” for Chinese o cials in Guangzhou to be receptive to trade with the new
arrivals (p. 23).”

• There is no need to do any research for this assignment. But if you do, you should
provide citations for ideas or material you use from other sources.

• A pdf containing more advice on how to write a book review, as well as a sample of a
real book review, are available in the Assignments folder.
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 Guidelines

• The structure of the review should look like this:

• An introduction where you state your argument about the book
• A short paragraph where you summarise the main contents of the book and the
major arguments of the book (this paragraph can be part of your introduction)

• Di erent paragraphs about the signi cant strengths and weaknesses of the
book

• A conclusion reiterating your argument about the book. Here you can add
additional relevant comments, for example, about which audiences the book is
most suitable for.
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Pro Tips #1

• Each paragraph should only discuss one main point/idea (which is introduced
in the topic sentence) and the rest of the paragraph should only elaborate on
the main idea and point and discuss the evidence as well as how the main
idea or point for the paragraph connect to the overall argument of the review

• Avoid discussing more than one main idea or point in each paragraph — give
the reader the space and time to understand and appreciate each main idea/
point
Pro Tips #2

• In evaluating and commenting on the book, put yourself in the shoes of a

history student/ history researcher. What criteria will you care about? What
qualities of a history book matter the most to you?

• Think about audiences 观众 — which audiences will the book be interesting/

relevant for and why? Which audiences will like or not like the book, and why?
Questions
You Can Think about to Stimulate your Thinking

• What are the strengths of the book? What are the weaknesses?
• Where did the author get the sources/information for the book? How do these
sources a ect the value or usefulness of the book?

• If you were teaching a course on Macau and Chinese Civilization, would you
ask your students to read this book? Why or why not? What will they learn?
What will they not learn?

• How does the book change your understanding of Macau history? Or not?
• Are you happy with the book’s coverage of topics/ arguments / perspectives?
Do you think the author left out anything important?
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Rubric
Content
A+ to A- B+ to B-
• The review demonstrates a • The review is mainly a
good understanding of the
• The review demonstrates book’s contents and
an excellent understanding arguments and relates
of the book’s contents and them to the themes of the
arguments, and relates course.
them to the themes of the • There is clear evidence of
course. the reviewer’s own
• The arguments made in thoughts and ideas about
the review are nuanced, the usefulness or value of
convincing and the book.
compelling, especially • Claims are supported with
when supported by well- evidence from the text.
selected evidence from the • The argumentation is
text. mostly convincing, with
some inconsistencies or
errors.
C+ / C D/F
summary of the book’s
contents, with some
evidence of the reviewer’s • The review is primarily a
views, which are not summary of the contents
framed in terms of an of the book without little or
argument. no indicator of the
reviewer’s views.
• Claims are made without • The review does not
reference to evidence from suggest an adequate
the text. understanding of the book.
• The review does not reach
• The argumentation is not the minimum word limit.
convincing.
• Claims are not relevant to
the assignment
requirements.
 Rubric
Mechanics
A+ to A- B+ to B- C+ / C D/F
• There is no argument
explicitly stated in the
• The argument is explicitly • The argument is explicitly introduction; the argument • There is no argument
stated in the introduction
stated in the introduction. has to be inferred. discernible in the
and constantly referred to
in the review.
• There are a few minor • There are serious introduction.
problems with ow and problems with the ow and • The paragraphs do not
• The review ows elegantly
connections between the logic of the ow smoothly into one
from start to nish.
paragraphs, and/or paragraphs. The another; review reads like
• The connections between
between paragraphs and connections between the a series of unconnected,
paragraphs and to the
the overall argument. paragraphs and the unrelated paragraphs.
overall argument are clear.
• There are some grammar,
• There are some grammar, argument are not clear. • Excessive number of
syntax, word choice,
syntax, word choice, • There is a substantial grammar, syntax, word
writing errors that create number of grammar, choice errors that made
writing errors but overall,
minor di culties with syntax, and word choice the review di cult to
there is no trouble
understanding the review. errors that signi cantly understand.
understanding the review.
reduce the clarity and
readability of the review.
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Rubric
Special Considerations

• 5 bonus marks if you choose to demonstrate extra e ort and commitment by

reading and reviewing a book from the supplementary reading list.

• Plagiarism and use of generative AI (e.g. ChatGPT) will result in an automatic

0 for this assignment

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