Journal Guidelines
You will be submitting journal entries of approximately four pages (800-1000 words), but you should consider yourself to be working on a single, complete document. By semester's end, this document (your journal) should reflect much of the learning that you have realized through course readings and class discussions.
In order to do well on the journal, you must get into the habit of being a critical reader. Among other things, this means:
Remember, your journal entries are not supposed to be entirely coherent essays; they are 'think pieces.' Each entry should demonstrate that you have understood (or at least tried to understand) the basic arguments contained in the reading. Each entry should also demonstrate that you are thinking creatively about issues raised by the reading--especially as they may relate to your own experience of growing up in America (or elsewhere), your status as a young person in America today, or to issues raised by prior course readings.
For each journal entry, you should make direct references to at least 2-3 of the readings for the previous fortnight. You want to show that you have given more than cursory attention to the reading assignments. Summarize the main points of the reading as briefly as possible and then give a critical reaction to it. It may help to focus your thoughts to attend to the following questions:
Journal entries should be typed and double-spaced (handwritten entries will be accepted only with prior approval).
Journals will be collected on the following dates: January 28th; February 12th; February 25th; March 11th; April 1st; and, April 16th. You may miss one of these collection dates, or drop your lowest journal entry grade at the end of the semester.
The Journal is worth 25% of your final grade.
Return to A201 syllabus