Review HIST-2051 Scholarly journal article

• David Potts,The Myth of the Great Depression, Melbourne: Scribe, 2006.

Andoneof the following books/articles/book chapters:

Ray Broomhill,Unemployed Workers: A Social History of the Great Depression in Adelaide, St Lucia: Uni of Queensland Press, 1978. (This is a (short) book, but an excellent text to compare to Potts book.)

Chapter from Janet McCalman,Struggletown: Public and Private Life in Richmond 1900-1965, Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1984, pp.151-210.

Geoffrey Spenceley, Assessing the Responses of the Unemployed to the Depression of the 1930s,Journal of Australian Studies, vol.13, no.24, 1989, pp.70-87.

Geoff Spenceley, The Social History of the Depression of the 1930s on the Basis of Oral Accounts: Peoples History or Bourgeois Construction?,Journal of Australian Studies, vol.18, no.41, 1994, pp.35-49.

Nadia Wheatley, All the Same Boat?: Sydneys Rich and Poor in the Great Depression, in Verity Burgmann and Jenny Lee (eds),Making a Life: A Peoples History of Australia since 1788, Melbourne: McPhee Gribble/Penguin, 1988.

Orchoose one of the following books:

1. Ray Broomhill,Unemployed Workers: A Social History of the Great Depression in Adelaide, St Lucia: Uni of Queensland Press, 1978.
2. Gerald Stone,1932: A Hell of a Year, Sydney: Macmillan Australia, 2005.
3. Geoffrey Bolton,A Fine Country to Starve In, Perth: UWA Press, 1972.

Andoneof the following articles/book chapters:

David Potts, A Reassessment of the Extent of Unemployment in Australia during the Great Depression,Australian Historical Studies, vol.24, no.97, 1991, pp.378-98.

David Potts, A Positive Culture of Poverty Represented in Memories of the 1930s Depression,Journal of Australian studies, vol.14, no.26, 1990, pp.3-14.

David Potts, Tales of Suffering in the 1930s Depression,Journal of Australian Studies, vol.18, no.41, 1994, pp.56-66.

Geoff Spenceley, The Social History of the Depression of the 1930s on the Basis of Oral Accounts: Peoples History or Bourgeois Construction?,Journal of Australian Studies, vol.18, no.41, 1994, pp.35-49.

Nadia Wheatley, All the Same Boat?: Sydneys Rich and Poor in the Great Depression, in Verity Burgmann and Jenny Lee (eds),Making a Life: A Peoples History of Australia since 1788, Melbourne: McPhee Gribble/Penguin, 1988.

Geoffrey Spenceley, Assessing the Responses of the Unemployed to the Depression of the 1930s,Journal of Australian Studies, vol.13, no.24, 1989, pp.70-87.

In writing your critical review, students should consider the following points:

1. What do the authors argue?
2. How do the authors deal with opposing arguments?
3. What types of evidence do the authors use to construct their arguments? Is this evidence convincing? What evidence do the authors ignore?
4. Are the authors influenced by a particular theory or methodological approach? Is this approach warranted?
5. Are the authors arguments convincing? (You should assess this by comparing the different arguments and evidence presented by each author. You might also consult 2-3 other texts on the same topic.)
6. What special tricks or strategies do the writers employ to make their points? These strategies may include the organisation of the text and the choice of language and examples.

Some tips:

• Make sure to address all six questions in the assessment module to the best of your ability
• Use your discretion when it comes to structuring
• You can analyse both texts together and structure it around the six questions or analyse them separately (although should still do some comparison), include a proper intro and conclusion or not include them.
• N.B.Include the references for your chosen texts in the bibliography and footnotes!
• Differentiate between argument and subject matter
• Subject matter = what the historian is talking about (e.g. marshmallows and cookie crumbs; womens lives in World War II)
• Argument = what the historian has to say/their opinion about the subject matter (e.g. marshmallows are a better ice cream topping than cookie crumbs; womens lives were improved by World War II [usually a bit more complicated than these examples])
• A historian will normally state their argument in the abstract (if it is a journal article) and in the introduction and conclusion of the text.
• Beware of bias (unbiased sources do not exist)
• This is a buzzword that is meaningless unless properly explained
• All sources are biased, and all historians inevitably have a certain perspective or agenda
• If you talk about bias, explainhowthe source is biased andwhythis might affect the strength of the historians argument

In order to see how professional historians and critics organise and write book reviews, students might wish to read some. The journalsAustralian Historical StudiesandJournal of Australian Studiescontain generally well-written book reviews in every edition.