ASSIGNMENTS:
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
For each assigned reading for this module, you will be asked to compose and submit two short (1-3 sentence) questions based on the week’s assigned readings. These questions are intended to help you identify the arguments of the readings, develop your own questions or arguments in response, and stimulate class discussion. Try not to make your submitted questions simple factual ones (e.g. “What happened in Indonesia in 1942?”). You are welcome to ask these kinds of questions in class. Instead, use the questions you submit to highlight some of the issues, approaches, ambiguities, strengths, or problems that you perceive in the readings, or possible connections that we could make between two or more of the readings (For example: “How might ___________’s concept of ___________ fit into the framework described by ___________ in last week’s readings?” or “This author explains the situation in terms of ________________, but couldn’t we also analyze it in terms of _______________?” or “Does ______________’s argument give sufficient attention to ________________?”)
You will be writing three essays throughout the semester that will ask you to critically reflect on the assigned readings. Your paper topics do not necessarily have to come from your submitted weekly questions. However, you may find it useful to see this weekly assignment as an opportunity to “brainstorm” possible paper topics and to highlight particular issues that interest you and about which you would like to write further.
I encourage you to be creative, ambitious, critical, and skeptical in your questions!
Your questions will not receive individual grades, but you are required to submit them for each class reading assignment, and they will count as a significant part of your participation grade for the class.
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
One of the main goals of this course is to develop your ability to construct an argumentative essay based on a close, critical reading of texts. We will be discussing the techniques of critical writing in class throughout the semester, including how to form and develop an evidence-based argument, summarize and paraphrase material, use primary and secondary sources, and compare and contrast texts.
You will have three writing assignments for this class, each one requiring you to develop an evidence-based argument using one or more texts. For each of your three papers, you will be submitting two drafts: the first will be a rough draft, which will be reviewed and commented upon in either a peer review session with your classmates or a one-on-one conference with me. Making use of the suggestions of your classmates and myself, you will revise your rough draft and submit a second, final draft that will be graded. Although your rough draft will not receive a grade, you must submit a rough draft in order for your final draft to be accepted. You are also required to participate in the peer review of your classmates’ rough drafts. (We will discuss this process in more detail in class).
ASSESSMENT:
Paper 1: 20%-- a brief response to a close reading of a text (3-4 pages)
Paper 2: 25%-- a longer response to a close reading of two texts (5-6 pages)
Paper 3: 35%-- an independent research paper using multiple sources (7-9 pages)
Participation: 10%-- including submitted discussion questions and in-class discussion
Presentations: 10%-- presentations of topics and annotated bibliographies for Paper 3 |
