Idea Statements
1. Four due, each on a day
marked in red on the syllabus, except for examination days.
Two idea statemnts are due before the first examination.
The fifth extra credit exercise will be your attendance at a selected
university program. 5 extra credit points each.
3. When you submit an idea statement, leave it on
the on the desk as you come to class.
3. Write about something that interests you: BUT REMEMBER
TO SHARE YOUR IDEA DURING CLASS DISCUSSION!
4. The purpose of these statements is to generate
class discussion, which is the basis of your response notes.
5. Minimum length, one-half typed, double-spaced
page; maximum, one typed, double-spaced page.
Response Notes
1. Due at the time of each examination, OR EARLIER.
2. Format:
a. In the first paragraph, summarize an idea you have heard one of your
classmates say or write about the text we are studying. THIS
MEANS THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO SHARE YOUR IDEA IN CLASS AND LISTEN CLOSELY
TO WHAT OTHERS SAY, OR READ THE IDEA STATMENTS ON FILE IN MY OFFICE.
b. In the second paragraph, discuss how that
idea would apply elsewhere in the
text we are studying. For example, if one of your classmates
expresses an interesting idea about Book I of Paradise Lost,
how would that idea apply to Book II? BE SURE NOT TO DISCSS THE
SAME MATERIAL IN PARAGRAPHS ONE AND TWO.
c. In the third paragraph, critically evaluate the idea your classmate
expressed. Think of the idea you summarized in the first paragraph
as a picture or photograph–what would you do to make it more interesting,
even if that means radical changes, perhaps outright rejection.
KEEP IN MIND, THOUGH, THAT MERELY TO AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH
YOUR CLASSMATE'S IDEA IS NOT TO EVALUATE IT CRITICALLY.
d. In the fourth paragraph, discuss
how the idea you developed in your critical evaluation would
apply elsewhere in the text we are studying.
DO NOT USE THE SAME EVIDENCE IN PARAGRAPH FOUR THAT YOU USED
IN PARAGRAPH TWO.
3. NO MORE THAN TWO double-spaced typed pages.
4. Criteria for
Evaluating Writing