Instruction
For this assignment, you will write an article critique that addresses the following questions and directions in 3-4 pages. You do not need to answer the questions and directions in the order they are listed. Your paper will be graded on your ability to communicate your comprehension of the material in clear and well-organized prose.
-Briefly, who is the author and what are his or her credentials?
-Briefly, who is the intended audience?
-State the author’s thesis and summarize the key points of the article.
-How does the author support the thesis?
-Identify the principal sources used by the author:
-Does the author use primary sources? Secondary sources? Or both?
-What kinds of primary sources does the author analyze or incorporate into the study? How do these sources compare to others we have looked at in class?
-Provide an overall assessment of the article’s strengths and weaknesses. Does it accomplish what the author intended? Do you detect any bias? Are the arguments clear or unclear, strong or weak, convincing or unconvincing?
Cite the article at the top of your paper in proper bibliographical format. The article you are to read and critique is:
Townsend, Camilla. “Burying the White Gods: New Perspectives on the Conquest of Mexico.” The American Historical Review 108, no. 3 (June 2003): 659-687.
If you quote directly from the text, use quotation marks and a footnote with the proper footnoting format for the first and subsequent notes.