Assignment Purpose: The journal reflection assignment is designed for students to personally explore the ideas presented in class readings, films/documentaries, and lectures. The journal reflections aim to help students develop critical perspectives and learn to translate those perspectives into writing. In particular, the journals are spaces to investigate ideas from class that will be developed further in more formal writing assignments. Assignment Requirements: Journal reflections should be at least 350 words, but should not exceed 500 words. In the right or left hand corner, journals must include the following information: student’s name, professor’s name (“Dr. Lamas”), class name, date, journal entry week (e.g. “Week 3 Journal”), and final word count. In total, we will complete five journal entries this semester. Each journal should be submitted on Sundays before midnight. Journals submitted later than the due date/time will not be accepted unless in extenuating circumstances. Get in touch with me if you need an extension for any assignment. Please, be sure to consider that the journal assignments are worth 15% of your overall grade in this course. Writing Expectations: For these journal entries, it is expected that students will write in formal academic English, though with the freedom to use first person pronouns (“He,” “She,” “I,” etc.) especially when reflecting on one’s own thoughts or inner dialogue. Students are free to reflect on any portion of the week’s readings, documentaries, or topics covered in lecture. These journals are intended to be both personally reflective but also academically engaged. Students should, therefore, interact with the readings, lectures, or documentaries by citing the relevant sources (see “Citations and Sources” below). Academic engagement means that students are critically analyzing the sources and offering their own interpretive points of view. Please, refrain from overusing direct quotations and instead opt for paraphrasing with citations. Direct quotes longer than a sentence will be marked down. Some Helpful Guidelines for Journal Writing: • Write as if you’re talking to yourself or a close friend. This approach is aimed at helping you connect to the content we’re covering. • Be original by being willing to “look stupid.” I’m looking for originality in these reflections and sometimes those “silly” questions we ask ourselves turn out to be great ideas that need further investigation! • Offer up counterarguments when you disagree. However, make your argumentation worthwhile by arguing based on evidence (reading or documentaries) rather than purely subjective points of view. • Make connections to your own personal experience or other areas of interests you may have (e.g. other courses). I know my class is not the only you’re taking, and I think it’s great when other areas of interest/study you may have are brought into these journals. While it’s important to let the main topic of the class guide the journal reflection, don’t be afraid to intersect other interests of study if relevant. • Keep Typing and Don’t Stop. I’m NOT looking for fully formulated argumentation or answers in these reflections…so, just keep typing and let what’s in your head be laid out, in all its scattered glory, freely in your writing processor. Citations and Sources: Cite sources according to how they are listed in Canvas. Please, do NOT attach a works cited page or bibliography to this assignment. • Reading Citation Examples: (Reading 4, p. 8)
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