ENGL 511 Special Topics in Writing: Young Adult Literature
READER'S NOTES
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Lee Torda, PhD Interim Dean of Undergraduate Studies 200 Clement C. Maxwell Library 508.531.1790 Teaching Website: www.leetorda.com |
OFFICE HOURS: By appointment. Email me at [email protected] with times/days you'd like to meet, and I will respond within 24 hours.
“Let’s save pessimism for better times” --Eduardo Galeano |
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OVERVIEW
Regardless of the format of the course, reading journals or reader’s notes are always a part of my class. There are many reasons for that. At the undergraduate level, I know that students will not read unless there is something grade-able attached to it. Grades are the currency of the classroom. I loathe a class where I’m the only one who has done the reading. In any classroom, though, the actual point of informal writing about a reading is because writing is a way of knowing. It’s a way to figure out what you think about what you are reading. Students should be given as many opportunities to respond to texts in deep and fruitful ways.
DETAILS
For our class, because we are meeting online, a traditional set of reader’s notes is not a manageable format for this part of the course. We need ways to share materials with each other that foster’s discussion.
First about format:
About, more importantly, content: Reader’s notes are informal. They are meant to be a record of your thinking about the reading for that week. Sometimes that will be the novel we are reading. Sometimes that might be about an article or article. Please note, even if we have multiple readings in one week you still are only responsible for 500 to 750 words. I’m looking for you to think about what you learned from the reading about Young Adult Literature. I urge you to consider all parts of that. What makes it young? What makes it Adult? What makes it Literature? Sometimes the readings will be examples. Sometimes the readings will be scholarship. Sometimes the readings will be commentary. Sometimes the readings will be about pedagogy (how to teach). Each kind of reading helps us build our understanding of it as a genre.
What we will do in our class: Once we have time to read some of what we have written, there could be a variety of things we might do with them. You’ll talk about them in with groupmates. You’ll use them to respond to discussion board prompts. Depending on how our class dynamic works out, we can have full class discussions. Thus, you’ll begin the work of thinking about and applying the reading on your own, and we’ll extend that work in class together.
EVALUATION
Reader’s Notes are worth 20% of your final grade. They are worth this much because I believe in valuing the considerable labor it takes to be prepared for class each week. And, further, our readings make up a considerable part of what makes up the content of our course. I don’t want “informal” to indicate “not important.”
To earn an A for this 20% of the course, you will need to complete all but one of the required reading journals at an “acceptable” level (everyone gets a week where they don’t need to do a journal, but it doesn’t excuse you from doing the reading).
Regardless of the format of the course, reading journals or reader’s notes are always a part of my class. There are many reasons for that. At the undergraduate level, I know that students will not read unless there is something grade-able attached to it. Grades are the currency of the classroom. I loathe a class where I’m the only one who has done the reading. In any classroom, though, the actual point of informal writing about a reading is because writing is a way of knowing. It’s a way to figure out what you think about what you are reading. Students should be given as many opportunities to respond to texts in deep and fruitful ways.
DETAILS
For our class, because we are meeting online, a traditional set of reader’s notes is not a manageable format for this part of the course. We need ways to share materials with each other that foster’s discussion.
First about format:
- Reader’s notes should be between 500 to 700 words long.
- Please make it possible to share your reader’s notes with your classmates as well as me in-class. The easiest way is probably a google doc or a word document that you can share a link to in the chat.
- In-class, be prepared to read and respond to at least some of your colleague’s reader’s notes.
About, more importantly, content: Reader’s notes are informal. They are meant to be a record of your thinking about the reading for that week. Sometimes that will be the novel we are reading. Sometimes that might be about an article or article. Please note, even if we have multiple readings in one week you still are only responsible for 500 to 750 words. I’m looking for you to think about what you learned from the reading about Young Adult Literature. I urge you to consider all parts of that. What makes it young? What makes it Adult? What makes it Literature? Sometimes the readings will be examples. Sometimes the readings will be scholarship. Sometimes the readings will be commentary. Sometimes the readings will be about pedagogy (how to teach). Each kind of reading helps us build our understanding of it as a genre.
What we will do in our class: Once we have time to read some of what we have written, there could be a variety of things we might do with them. You’ll talk about them in with groupmates. You’ll use them to respond to discussion board prompts. Depending on how our class dynamic works out, we can have full class discussions. Thus, you’ll begin the work of thinking about and applying the reading on your own, and we’ll extend that work in class together.
EVALUATION
Reader’s Notes are worth 20% of your final grade. They are worth this much because I believe in valuing the considerable labor it takes to be prepared for class each week. And, further, our readings make up a considerable part of what makes up the content of our course. I don’t want “informal” to indicate “not important.”
To earn an A for this 20% of the course, you will need to complete all but one of the required reading journals at an “acceptable” level (everyone gets a week where they don’t need to do a journal, but it doesn’t excuse you from doing the reading).
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What makes Reader’s Notes acceptable:
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If your Reader’s Notes are not acceptable, you will get notes from me about what you need to do to make it acceptable. You can always revise any set of Reader’s Notes that are not acceptable as long as you have turned in those Reader’s Notes on the original due date.
To earn a B for this 20% of the course, you will need to complete all but three of the required reading journals at an acceptable level.
To earn a C for this 20% of the course, you will need to complete all but 5 of the required reading journals at an acceptable level.
If you have not done enough work to earn a C, you will earn an F for this 20% of the course.
To earn a B for this 20% of the course, you will need to complete all but three of the required reading journals at an acceptable level.
To earn a C for this 20% of the course, you will need to complete all but 5 of the required reading journals at an acceptable level.
If you have not done enough work to earn a C, you will earn an F for this 20% of the course.