assignments ENGL226 Writing About Writing:
Reading journals
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OVERVIEW: For most of the reading (or watching or listening) we do in this class, you need to produce a reading journal. These journals are informal in that I will not be looking at them for punctuation, style, or grammar. I am looking for an articulation of ideas—of yours and the authors.
Reading Journals are an important part of the day-to-day of our class. They are active documents. This means that, besides sharing them with me, you will share your reading journals with your classmates. You will add to them/write on them in class. Others will add to them/write on them in class. As such, it is important that you bring a hard copy to class. I will collect and comment on them. I know it's old-fashioned, but it still works.
Reading journals should be 500 words--no less. They shouldn't be much longer. You should cover three kinds of information in them.
How you will be evaluated for Reading Journal posts
Reading Journals are worth 20% of your final grade.
In order to earn a "B" grade for that 15% you must:
An Acceptable Reading Journal will
Unacceptable Reading Journals
If you produce a reading journal that does not meet the requirements for an "Acceptable" grade, I will let you know in my comments on your journal. I will tell you why it does not meet the "Acceptable" requirements, and you always have the opportunity to revise any "Unacceptable" grade into an "Acceptable" grade at any point in the semester as long as you've come to class on the day the journal is due with your original reading journal ready to turn in during class time.
A note about using AI for reading journals: I don't know that you could easily use AI to write most of the assignments in this class. And we will actually study using AI for the writing in the professions assignment--because so many people in the industry are doing just that. But I think you could probably use AI for reading journals, and I actively want to discourage that. The point of reading journals is to demonstrate that you read the text and that you understand it. If you do use AI to help you write part of your 500 words, please be honest that you have done so. If it feels like too much of your reading journal is written by a computer, I will ask you to rewrite it. I'm not interested in discussing whether or not it is AI. I'm simply going to give the journal an "unacceptable" and ask you to revise. Contrary to popular belief, it is very easy to tell if something has been written exclusively by AI.
Format
In order to earn an "A" grade for that 20% you must:
Complete all but one Reading Journal at an Acceptable level.
In order to earn a "C" grade for that 20% you must:
Complete all but four reading journals at an acceptable level.
If you do not meet the requirements for a "C" grade, you will fail the 15% of your final grade that is earned in the Reading Journal assignment.
Reading Journals are an important part of the day-to-day of our class. They are active documents. This means that, besides sharing them with me, you will share your reading journals with your classmates. You will add to them/write on them in class. Others will add to them/write on them in class. As such, it is important that you bring a hard copy to class. I will collect and comment on them. I know it's old-fashioned, but it still works.
Reading journals should be 500 words--no less. They shouldn't be much longer. You should cover three kinds of information in them.
- Write a brief but comprehensive summary of the key points discussed in each reading, including your best take on a main idea or theme or thesis. NOTE: Sometimes I will ask you to respond to a specific question in your journal. That question will always appear in the "WHAT I HAVE TO WRITE" section on the syllabus.
- Write a brief reaction to the piece. Be careful here. I'm asking you not to say you hate it or love it. I'm asking you to think about the merits of the argument the author is making--do you agree or disagree with the argument the author is making and why.
- Finally, write briefly on how this text makes you think about writing--your writing, the writing you've learned in school, what you understand about writing in the world, the process of writing, about what determines "quality" in a piece of writing, theories of composing, etc.
How you will be evaluated for Reading Journal posts
Reading Journals are worth 20% of your final grade.
In order to earn a "B" grade for that 15% you must:
- Complete all but two Reading journal posts at an "Acceptable" level.
An Acceptable Reading Journal will
- Be 500 words.
- Include a brief but comprehensive summary.
- Include a brief reaction
- Include a thoughtful reflection on what it tells you about writing
Unacceptable Reading Journals
If you produce a reading journal that does not meet the requirements for an "Acceptable" grade, I will let you know in my comments on your journal. I will tell you why it does not meet the "Acceptable" requirements, and you always have the opportunity to revise any "Unacceptable" grade into an "Acceptable" grade at any point in the semester as long as you've come to class on the day the journal is due with your original reading journal ready to turn in during class time.
A note about using AI for reading journals: I don't know that you could easily use AI to write most of the assignments in this class. And we will actually study using AI for the writing in the professions assignment--because so many people in the industry are doing just that. But I think you could probably use AI for reading journals, and I actively want to discourage that. The point of reading journals is to demonstrate that you read the text and that you understand it. If you do use AI to help you write part of your 500 words, please be honest that you have done so. If it feels like too much of your reading journal is written by a computer, I will ask you to rewrite it. I'm not interested in discussing whether or not it is AI. I'm simply going to give the journal an "unacceptable" and ask you to revise. Contrary to popular belief, it is very easy to tell if something has been written exclusively by AI.
Format
- At least 500 words.
- Typed in 10 or 12 point font
- Double-spaced
- Printed out and ready in class on the day it is due.
- Ideally stapled (but I have a mini-stapler and I usually have it in class)
In order to earn an "A" grade for that 20% you must:
Complete all but one Reading Journal at an Acceptable level.
In order to earn a "C" grade for that 20% you must:
Complete all but four reading journals at an acceptable level.
If you do not meet the requirements for a "C" grade, you will fail the 15% of your final grade that is earned in the Reading Journal assignment.