A. Read and Annotate Each Section/Chapter

AP Seminar SUMMER ASSIGNMENT

2018-19

Assignment- During the summer, you will critically read and annotate Tom Nichols’ book, The Death of Expertise: The Campaign against Established Knowledge and Why It Matters, Oxford University Press; 1 edition (March 1, 2017). I recommend purchasing the physical book to practice annotating unless you have tablet capabilities to annotate electronically. You are required to do the following to prepared for the first day of class in August 2018:

A. Read and annotate each section/chapter

1. Preface

2. Introduction: The Death of Expertise

3. Ch. 1- How Conversation Became Exhausting

4. Ch. 2-Higher Education: The Customer is Always Right

5. Ch. 3-Let me Google That for You: How Unlimited Information is Making Us Dumber

6. Ch. 4- The “New” Journalism, and Lots of It

7. Ch. 5-When Experts are Wrong

8. Conclusion: Experts and Democracy

B. Address the following as you read. Type up your responses and be prepared for day 1 of Seminar to discuss and present.

1. Who is Tom Nichols? Give details. How does his background impact his credibility and validity? How does his background impact his perspective/point of view?

2. Identify and explain the author’s argument AND line of reasoning. How does he support this claim throughout the book (in each section/chapter)?

3. For each chapter-identify and explain the lenses (environmental, scientific, economic, political, artistic and philosophical, cultural and social, futuristic, ethical) which the author is using to address the issue. Support, cite, and locate with evidence.

4. What are the strengths (credibility, validity, and relevance) of the evidence presented? Are his claims warranted (justified/affirmed)? Top three supporting pieces of evidence? Least convincing pieces of evidence? WHY?

5. Does he present or acknowledge the counterargument or limitations in each section/chapter and/or somewhere in the text?

6. Why is the author writing this book in 2017? Situate the argument in context?

7. Are there questions, perspectives, concerns, and/or voices the author fails to address? What are they? Why do you believe they are not addressed?

8. Is the argument valid? Meaning, does the author logically align his line of reasoning and the conclusion?

*** THROUGHOUT the entire assignment (all questions), make sure you cite e.g. (Nichols 49) and document actual evidence and PAGE numbers (in the book) and record and write out in your notes. Dog ear pages, use sticky notes, an/or use a system that works for you to be able to reference effectively and quickly in class. You must be able to cite the support and identify the location of support e.g. page 49, paragraph 2, line 3, for discussion on the first day of class. Good luck