Module 6 due 10/10/21
Book Review
Select any non-fiction book related to gangs. You may not select a textbook. You will write an analysis of the book in 500-750 words. You should discuss:
What is the author’s argument?
What information does the author provide to support his/her argument?
Is the information convincingly supportive of the argument?
How does this book compare with other criminal justice books you might have read?
How does the book read, taking into consideration style elements such as word choice, sentence structure, paragraph construction, and overall organization?
How do any of these style elements affect the clarity of communication with which the author communicates his/her ideas? Give examples.
Would you recommend this book to other classes?
This book review/author analysis will require that you put yourself in the place of the author and analyze the writing of the book and its intent. This assignment will allow you to demonstrate competency in the following course outcomes:
Explain the history of gangs and gang membership.
Describe the importance of symbols, graffiti, recruitment, and tactics in gangs.
Connect the concept of criminal enterprise and organized crime in gangs.
Evaluate methods used by law enforcement to control gangs
You will select a non-fiction book related to gangs and conduct a fictional interview with the author. In your interview, you will ask author questions that get at the subjects listed below. You will then answer the questions as if you were the author, explaining why the characters did what they did and the authors objective in writing the book. Your interview should be approximately 4-6 pages. Base your author responses on knowledge you have gained in the course as well as course materials.
Subjects for interview questions should include, but are not limited to:
What inspired you to write this book?
What research did you do in order to prepare to write this book?
What was the most striking thing you learned about gangs and their culture?
Why did you address the criminal activity of the gang in the way in which you did?
Why did you choose to take the approach you did in dealing with the way law enforcement/corrections tried to control gangs?
What was your favorite part of the book?
See the Course Calendar for the due date.
Compose your work in a .doc or .docx file type using a word processor (such as Microsoft Word, etc.) and save it frequently to your computer. For those assignments that are not written essays and require uploading images or PowerPoint slides, please follow uploading guidelines provided by your instructor.
Check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors. When you are ready to submit your work, click Upload Submission. Enter the submission title and then click on Select a file to upload. Browse your computer, and select your file. Click Open and verify the correct file name has appeared next to Submission File. Click on Continue. Confirm submission is correct and then click on Accept Submission & Save.
Turnitin
This course has Turnitin fully integrated into the course dropbox. This means that you should only submit your assignments to the dropbox below. Please do not submit your assignment directly to Turnitin.com.
Once submitted, your assignment will be evaluated by Turnitin automatically. You will be able to view an Originality Report within minutes of your first submission that will show how much of your work has been identified as similar to other sources such as websites, textbooks, or other student papers. Use your Originality Report as a learning tool to identify areas of your assignment that you may not have cited appropriately. You may resubmit your assignment through this dropbox as many times as you need to check to see if you have made improvements, until the due date of the assignment. However, once you have made your first submission, you will need to wait 24 hours after each subsequent submission to receive a new Originality Report. Plan accordingly as you draft your assignment. Once the due date has passed, your assignment submission will be considered final.
Evaluation
This assignment will be graded using the SPS Default Undergraduate Writing Rubric located on the Course Rubrics page within the Start Here section of the course. Please review the rubric prior to beginning your work so that you ensure your submission meets the criteria in place for this assignment. This assignment is worth 30% of your final course grade.
