Reading

This class includes several reading assignments. For many of these assignments, you are required to submit a critical response to the reading. These responses should focus your thoughts and show that you have meaningfully reflected on the reading and how it connects with your own experiences.

Each reading assignment requiring a response is marked (R) on the course schedule. For each such assignment, you must locate three quotes to which you wish to respond. For each quote, you should restate the quote along with a citation and then respond critically to the quote.

Each selected quote should be from a different chapter of the assigned reading. Choose quotes that are meaningful to you, that you have experienced personally or about which you have a strong opinion. Make a claim about the quote, agree with it or disagree with it, and justify your claims. These responses should show your ability to think critically about the material and should also prepare you to discuss your opinions in class.

You will be evaluated on the quality and coherence of your claims and your ability to justify them.

A rough rubric for the responses can be found on CourSys.

Readings are frontloaded in the course, so plan with that in mind. This gives more time for focusing on the term project in the last half of the course. A rough schedule of the reading is: