Chapter Analysis Rubric

Here is the exact rubric I will use in grading your chapter/article analysis.


_______ /10 1. What is the specific topic of the book or article? What overall purpose does it seem to have? For what readership is it written?

_______ /10 2. Does the author state an explicit thesis? Does he or she noticeably have an axe to grind? What is the purpose?

_______ /10 3. What exactly does the work contribute to the overall topic of your course? What general problems and concepts in your discipline and course does it engage?

_______ /10 4. What kinds of material does the work present? What types of sources and evidence is used?

_______ /15 5. Does the material/evidence used support the overall arguments? How so? Or how not? Explain and give examples.

_______ /10 6. Are there alternative ways of arguing from the same material? Does the author show awareness of them? Is there bias?

_______/10 7. What theoretical issues and topics for further discussion does the work raise? In other words, how does this fit into the bigger historical context?

_______ /10 8. What are your own reactions and considered opinions regarding the work? Do you “buy” the author’s argument(s)? What are the articles strengths and weaknesses?

_______ /15 9. Analysis writing style: proper punctuation, spelling, capitalization, grammar, sentence and paragraph structure


_______/100 = TOTAL GRADE