THE BOOK REACTION/CRITIQUE PAPER
 
COMM 542 (graduate) students will write a "response/critique" paper about a negotiation/bargaining book (e.g., Pruitt and Carnevale's Negotiation in Social Conflict).  The paper should be 4 to 7 pages.  COMM 542 students should include an outline of their critique they will share with other graduate students at the book critique "seminar."  This meeting will occur during the last two weeks of the term.

The Critique
The reaction/critique paper should include a short summary of the book,  followed by your evaluation of it.  You may want to consider the following descriptive and evaluative issues.

ISSUES OF DESCRIPTION - Summarize the content of the book.  Possible questions to consider include: What is the central theme of the book?  What are its most important points?  Does the book raise or address worthwhile issues?  Does it pose interesting questions?   How clear are the ideas?  How readable is the text?  Who is/are the relevant audience(s) for this book?

ISSUES  OF  EVALUATION - React to the book.  You might consider the following questions: What do you like and dislike about the book; its content, its style, etc.?  Is the content coherent?  What are the strengths of the book?  What are its weaknesses?  How well are ideas presented?  Are the major points explained adequately; are the arguments appropriate?  Is the central message clear?  Is the book well-grounded in both theory and research?  What kinds of evidence are employed?   Are they appropriate?

ISSUES OF RESPONSE - Respond to the book as a reader and as a student of bargaining and negotiation.  Potential questions are: What have you learned from the book?  What meaningful points does the author make?  How do the ideas in this book relate to other readings you have done about bargaining and negotiation (e.g., the readings of this course).  What is the "practical relevance" of the book and the ideas it presents?  Who should read this book?  Do you find the substance of the book compelling and insightful, or an unproductive use of one's reading time (or something in-between)?

ISSUES OF RECOMMENDATION - Would you recommend this book to people interested in bargaining and negotiation?  Should this book be required or optional reading for an undergraduate and/or graduate course in bargaining/negotiation?  Who should read this book?

Remember, a critique is not a commentary of agreement or disagreement with a book's content and ideas, although some attention to this issue is appropriate.  A critique evaluates discourse according to some clear standard.  Your evaluative criteria should be clearly evident in the paper.