ARCHIVE - Template "What's Love...?"

I. Your credit depends on your posting a short essay (of about 500 words) in response to the assigned reading each week of the quarter, except for weeks I, V and X: seven essays in all. You must post either Sunday afternoon by 5 p.m. (the day before Monday seminar) or Wednesday afternoon by 5 p.m. (the day before Thursday seminar). In order to ensure that half are posted for Monday and half for Thursday, your seminar leader will assign deadlines more specifically.

q Each week more than one text has been assigned. You can work with one, or a portion of one. If you want to compare one text with another, do so, but keep in mind that your goal is expository and should focus primarily on one.

II. Each posting is to address in a thoughtful manner the following questions:

q        What is the main argument made in the text (or selection from the text) you have chosen to address? (Outline the conclusion(s) and the assumptions or key premises the author presents.)

1. What’s the big idea? What difference should it make, if the author is right? How does the author hope to change his or her readers?

2. Why should a reader be interested? Where does the author begin? What common ground does the author seek in addressing the reader?

3. What is the argument? How does the author set about persuading the reader?

q        What questions or counter-arguments would you ask your seminar to address? (Motivate these suggestions. Why is this important?)

1. The questions you raise should direct, or redirect, your seminar to the text. The text is what you share and have before you. Questions that cannot be answered by looking more closely at the text, that call for additional research, for example, will not be useful.

2. Don’t simply tack these questions on the end. Make them an integral part of your attempt to understand and clarify the author’s argument.

q        Postings are to be well-written, grammatically and analytically. Please make specific references to the readings, provide page numbers etc.

III. You also must read the essays posted by your seminar sub-group before each seminar, and offer at least two substantial responses to what you have read. Thus, fourteen such responses are required during the quarter. Mere encouragements, appreciations, me-too's, etc. will not count. Your responses must be posted no later than the week following the essay deadlines.

Responses to Week 2 essays must be posted no later than Friday of Week 3 etc.

IV. We take this assignment seriously, and we ask you to do the same. The purpose of these postings is to help you:

q        Learn the materials well.

q        Prepare well for seminar

q        Improve your ability to summarize and ask key questions about an argument.

q        Refine you writing skills.

q        Learn from one another

q        Give concrete evidence to the faculty of what you have learned.

	The Good Citizen: the "social contract" reconsidered Spring 2003 *Project Presentations: schedule* *The web-x sites are now available for posting the revised Project Descriptions. Please turn in two hard copies, as well.* *Wednesday, June 4, 9-12, Project Presentations will be in Library 4300.* *Thursday, June 5, 10-1, Project Presentations will be in LH 3.*

Postings
		I. Your credit depends on your posting a short essay (of about 500 words) in response to the assigned reading each week of the quarter, except for weeks I, V and X: seven essays in all. You must post either Sunday afternoon by 5 p.m. (the day before Monday seminar) or Wednesday afternoon by 5 p.m. (the day before Thursday seminar). In order to ensure that half are posted for Monday and half for Thursday, your seminar leader will assign deadlines more specifically. q Each week more than one text has been assigned. You can work with one, or a portion of one. If you want to compare one text with another, do so, but keep in mind that your goal is expository and should focus primarily on one. II. Each posting is to address in a thoughtful manner the following questions: q What is the main argument made in the text (or selection from the text) you have chosen to address? (Outline the conclusion(s) and the assumptions or key premises the author presents.) 1. What’s the big idea? What difference should it make, if the author is right? How does the author hope to change his or her readers? 2. Why should a reader be interested? Where does the author begin? What common ground does the author seek in addressing the reader? 3. What is the argument? How does the author set about persuading the reader? q What questions or counter-arguments would you ask your seminar to address? (Motivate these suggestions. Why is this important?) 1. The questions you raise should direct, or redirect, your seminar to the text. The text is what you share and have before you. Questions that cannot be answered by looking more closely at the text, that call for additional research, for example, will not be useful. 2. Don’t simply tack these questions on the end. Make them an integral part of your attempt to understand and clarify the author’s argument. q Postings are to be well-written, grammatically and analytically. Please make specific references to the readings, provide page numbers etc. III. You also must read the essays posted by your seminar sub-group before each seminar, and offer at least two substantial responses to what you have read. Thus, fourteen such responses are required during the quarter. Mere encouragements, appreciations, me-too's, etc. will not count. Your responses must be posted no later than the week following the essay deadlines. Responses to Week 2 essays must be posted no later than Friday of Week 3 etc. IV. We take this assignment seriously, and we ask you to do the same. The purpose of these postings is to help you: q Learn the materials well. q Prepare well for seminar q Improve your ability to summarize and ask key questions about an argument. q Refine you writing skills. q Learn from one another q Give concrete evidence to the faculty of what you have learned.
faculty contact info.