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Writing

[discussion forums]   [extra credit journals]   [writing tips]

Discussion Forums [top]

Full credit in the course will require writing eight posts and commenting on sixteen posts written by others (so, for each forum, you will write one post and comment on two posts by other students). 

These forums will take place on ANGEL, where you will find the topics and due dates (for the posts and comments); the latter are also listed in green on the reading and assignment Schedule.  NB: You are encouraged to make these posts as early as you can.  Feel free to comment on posts as soon as they are available.

Each post should be at least 500 words and is worth up to 6 points; the comments should be at least 100 words each, and each is worth up to 2 points (see the rubric).

A good post will show evidence of having worked through the relevant readings, perhaps also responding to class discussion, and is written free of grammatical errors and typos.

About the comments:

(1) If a post already has two comments, then choose another post on which to comment. 

(2) These comments should be more than simply praise or a note of agreement.  I want you to interact with the claims made in the post, or with the argumentation: Do you agree or disagree, and why?  Is the author overlooking something?  You might offer further evidence for the author’s views, or else counter-evidence.  Try to raise at least one useful question for furthering the discussion.

(3) Feel welcome to comment as often as you wish on the posts; for any given forum, I’ll grade your two most substantial comments (that appear to be 100 words or more), but shorter comments are also welcome, and can add immeasurably to the conversation.

Extra credit opportunity:

You may receive up to two additional points commenting on more than two posts and/or responding to comments on your own post.  A point will be given for substantial comments or responses.  (In general, I’m wanting to encourage conversations among you, and I am happy to reward your efforts in this direction.)

Extra Credit Journals[top]

You may write brief essays for extra credit, if you wish.  These are opportunities for exploring additional texts, films, videos, podcasts, etc., as listed under “Other Resources” on the Reading and Assignment schedule.  A journal can be submitted on any item marked with an [EC].  These should be at least 600 words (about two pages), and will be graded on their length, content, and basic mechanics (see the rubric, and see the sample journal).  The content should include two parts: a brief summary of the text, film, or talk, and a rather longer discussion of what was philosophically of interest. 

These journals need to be turned in no later than seven days after the date on which they were listed (for instance, the film High Noon is listed for Monday, March 11, so a journal would need to be submitted no later than midnight on Monday, March 18). 

Please submit them to the “EC” drop box on ANGEL, with the title of the article or film in the subject line.  You may write up to one journal per class day, and at the end of the semester, the very last journals are due on the last day of classes (Thursday, May 13).  Plan accordingly.

Each journal is worth up to 10 points, and up to 50 points may be accumulated.  A full 50 points will add 4% to your course grade.

Writing Tips [top]

Please carefully proofread these writing submissions.  You need to use complete sentences, proper punctuation, and correct spelling.  Both in college and after you graduate you will be judged, in part, by how well you write.  Typos, mispellings, poor grammar — in short, sloppy writing — is like so much stink coming from the bottom of your shoes.  It won’t matter how nicely your hair is combed or your shirt is pressed if you can’t write a decent paragraph.

Words and Expressions Commonly Misused: at least once a year, everyone should read through this list from Strunk & White.

I hope it never comes to this, but my comments on your writing might make use of some of the following abbreviations:

awk: awkward.  This is a sentence problem; the sentence should be re-written for greater clarity.

frag: sentence fragment.  Another sentence problem; your sentence is lacking something vital.  Like a subject.  Or a verb.  Don’t fall into the trap of writting essays that sound like advertising copy.  We all can do better than that!

wc: word choice.  You might find a better word to suit your sentence.  Consult your dictionary for a more accurate meaning.

sp: spelling.  Consult your dictionary!

?: Huh?  You’ve lost your reader.

TS?: Topic sentence?  This is a paragraph problem.  There needs to be a topic sentence (normally, the lead sentence of the paragraph) that indicates what the paragraph is all about (what you are hoping to do in the paragaph; or it’s the claim for which the paragraph will now offer support, or an observation for which the paragraph will now offer some elaboration, etc.).

CO?: Cohere?  Another paragraph problem; the sentences in this paragraph don’t fit together very well.  Try re-arranging the,.  Ask yourself: (a) What goal am I trying to acheive with this paragraph? and (b) Is each sentence working towards this goal?

Q?: Quotation?  Quotations should be used only when a paraphrase will not do the job as effectively.  Common problems include failing to properly introduce a quotation, failing to properly cite a quotation, quoting more than is helpful, and using a quotation when a paraphrase would be better.