A pre?cis is a concise reconstruction of the main argument, essential points and conclusions in a given document. Essentially, it is an accurate restatement of the authors work in very short form. Though it does not involve much writing on your part, composing a good pre?cis is surprisingly difficult. The challenge is understanding what the author is trying to say and then restating it faithfully, without missing major points, and without adding your own spin. It requires a precise understanding of the text and careful wording of the summary. You will be graded on the precision and comprehensiveness of your reconstruction, and the clarity of your writing. The pre?cis must be between 250 and 300 words long. Available Readings: Nye, Joseph. 2011. The Future of Power. New York: PublicAffairs. Chapter 1 What is Power in Global Affairs? pp. 3-24. Rose, Gideon. 2019. The Fourth Founding: The United States and the Liberal Order. Foreign Affairs 98 (1): 11-21. Allison, Graham. 2018. The Myth of the Liberal Order: From Historical Accident to Conventional Wisdom. Foreign Affairs 97 (4): 124-133. Zarakol, Ays?e. 2019. Rise of the Rest: As Hype and Reality. International Relations 0 (0): 1- 16. The purpose of this assignment is to train students in reading academic literature. As you will discover, academic literature is not like other kinds of writing. It can be long, detailed, dense, sometimes boring, and usually needs to be read a few times to understand fully. Your ability to read and comprehend academic writing is a big determinant of success in the social sciences. Reconstruction: Substance: Accurately reconstructs the authors core ideas without editorializing Organization: Sequence of reconstruction is consistent with the article Evidence: Appropriate discussion of authors key points, identifies and articulates the logical connections Composition Grammar: Perfect or near perfect Diction: Word choices perfect or near perfect, little confusion about meaning Sentences: Clear and easy to read; no convoluted sentences Style: Engaging and elegant writing
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