BUSN2350 Book Review Instructions
From the course outline:
Working individually, complete a critical book review on:
Thornton, M. (2018) The Skyscraper Curse: And How Austrian Economists Predicted Every Major Economic Crisis of the Last Century. Mises Institute, Auburn Alabama
The book and audiobook version are available for free download from www.mises.org/curse
Your review should consider the lessons that can be drawn from the events and explanations given. Where the findings of the book are controversial, you should articulate the mainstream narrative the author is arguing against, providing references to outside sources, and critically evaluating all sides. A minimum of 8 academic sources besides the book should be used in your critical analysis.
Submissions will be checked for plagiarism, and instances of plagiarism will result in a zero grade, and potentially other sanctions. The assignment must be submitted electronically via the assessments tab on blackboard. An electronic version of the MARKING GUIDE at the end of this outline will be used. Use 12 point font size, double line spacing.
Word Limit: 2500 words.
Due Date: (see course outline for date). Penalties of 10% per day off the total possible mark may apply if this is submitted late without permission.
Further instructions:
– You need to start by actually reading the book right through (you can also utilise the audiobook) and make notes or highlight sections as you go. You will need to start at the start of the semester.
– Also have a look at the video series on persuasive essay writing, from Blackboard.
– This is not the kind of review you would offer on Amazon – your job is not to recommend the book to others, and neither are you trying to complain about it and tell others to avoid it. And your job is not to write a neutral summary of the book.
– Primarily your job is to critically analyse the content of the book as you review it. This means to unpack the arguments of the book and contrast them with any alternative arguments.
– The author compares Austrian Business Cycle Theory to other theories using many historical examples. You should discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence given by the author for all sides. And you should also introduce other reference sources to bolster various sides – some that agree with the author’s position and some that disagree.
– When presenting arguments, it is important that they actually address the counterarguments given. For example, don’t just write a paragraph in which author A supports position A, and then another paragraph where author B supports position B, and leave it there; you need to explain how each position either refutes, or is refuted by, the other, leading to some conclusion. EG “According to [position A], [argument B] is untenable because it fails to take into account…”
Outline:
There is scope for you to arrange the book review as you see fit as long as it does its job. This is just a suggestion.
– Title and publisher details (a few lines)
– Introduction and thesis statement (up to half a page). Set out what the book is about and what its major conclusions are. And include your own thesis statement on whether you are convinced by the author’s arguments or take a different position – which you will circle back to at the end. This is covered in the essay writing videos.
– Main body (remainder of 2500 words). Go through the book chapter by chapter (or you may decide to cover two or more chapters together) and unpack the arguments and counterarguments.
– Conclusion (up to half a page). This should match your thesis statement. Don’t include any new information here, only draw together the threads that have been weaved in the rest of the report.
Referencing:
– When referencing external materials you must use APA 7 referencing.
– When referencing the book itself you can use shorthand, since the whole review is on this book. EG ‘the book’ or ‘the skyscraper curse’ or ‘Thornton’s book’.
– If you use a reference that Mark Thornton references in the book, you need to include Thornton as the intermediary source. EG “Thornton references X as saying….”