Journal
Guidelines
The journal assignment is intended to give you the opportunity to
reflect on the course material in a disciplined and comprehensive
manner. It will include three parts:
1) critical reflections on assigned readings or
class material: each of these may be a response to
one of the study guide questions or a
discussion of one or more issues raised in the readings or in class
that
strike you as significant; try to explore an issue or idea
rather
than merely summarize what the reading says; you should write
two entries
each week; each entry should fill at least half of an 8 1/2 by 11-inch
page
typed (roughly 200-300 words), should be in complete sentences, and
should
be dated; two of these are due each week, unless you submit
one of the
alternative assignments listed at the end of the study guide; for
a description
of these, click here.
2) reflection on some aspect of your experience outside of
class
relevant to the issues raised by the course (two-pages,
double-spaced):
this could be reflections on a movie or performance with religious
themes (music, theatre, dance), the description and analysis of a
ritual that
you personally observed, or some other experience that has captured
your
attention and that the course seems to illuminate; you should
make explicit
connections between issues raised in the course, for example, in one of
the class readings, and your experience; if you’re having
trouble deciding
what to write about, speak to me after class or write me an e-mail
message
and we’ll discuss your options (this can be handed in at any
time during
the semester, but it must be submitted on the last day of class at the
latest).
3) final course assessment: write a
well-organized two- to three-page essay (double-spaced) discussing some
of the key issues that the course has raised for you and summarizing
how your thoughts about religion have changed as a result of the class;
your conclusion may also include
critical reflections on the course itself, and any suggestions you have
for improving it; due on the last day of class.
Your journal will be of use to you in direct proportion to the amount
of effort and time that you devote to it. Effective reading
is seldom accomplished by simply running your eyes over a page of text
and trying to remember what it says. This is particularly
true of primary sources that were not written with you as the intended
audience. (For some further suggestions about how to read and
understand primary sources such as those we will be reading this
semester, click
here). Understanding emerges from a process of
asking the text
questions as you read, and of exploring your own reactions to what you
encounter
in the text. Research has shown that the process of writing
about what you've read supports the process of critical thinking and
facilitates a
deeper understanding. The purpose is not so much to "get the
right
answer" as to explore what you think about the readings and to follow
and
extend your own train of thought. The reflections recorded in
your
journal should be very helpful when you prepare for your midterm and
final
exams, and they should facilitate your participation in class
discussion.
Your journal will also provide me with a basis for evaluating the
extent
and quality of your engagement in the course.
As an incentive to keeping up with your journal entries, I
will collect your twice-weekly critical reflections each week at the
beginning of the Thursday class. I will not accept late
journal entries except for reasons of illness or family emergency.
You may submit your written reflections in either handwritten or
word-processed form, though I much prefer the
latter for reasons of legibility. You also have the option of
submitting
your journal entries by e-mail through Blackboard; if you choose this
option, I must receive
your two entries for each week before the start of our Thursday
class. Be sure to keep a personal copy of your
journal entries in addition to the copy you hand in so you can consult
them for the midterm and final exams. When we are
two or three weeks into the class, I will return your accumulated
journal entries with my comments, just so you know you're on the right
track in terms of what I expect for the journal assignment.
I will again return journal entries about two-thirds of the way through
the class. Since you will not receive your journal
reflections back immediately, please feel free to e-mail me directly
about particular questions you have about the readings or points raised
in class.
Copyright 2009 Kevin Trainor
Last updated:
1/11/09