FRE 2720-001, The Contemporary French, W 2004 -- Response Assignment Guidelines
Responses to Threaded Discussions
There are many assignments due for this class that are called
"Responses." Students are often confused by these assignments,
in part because they are less formal than what they have been
asked to write for classes in the past. These are not essays or
themes: they do not need to support a single argument or provide
a neat introduction and conclusion. Responses can include questions
for the class, conjectures, gut feelings, and speculations. They
should, however, provide specific textual evidence for whatever
points they want to make. (In other words, quote readings specifically,
with page numbers, rather than referring vaguely to them.)
Responses should represent a first attempt to make sense out of the assignment, a first attempt at getting the bits and pieces you have marked in the reading to hang together in some way. In grading responses, I will reward careful presentation of textual evidence, intellectual risk-taking, and efforts to provide material for class discussion. I also expect you to write in standard prose, as opposed to the less formal language of email. As far as the content of responses goes, however, be fearless: the correctness of these preliminary thoughts is not a factor.
Responses are due by 8 PM the evening before the class for which they are assigned. Because the success of this course depends on our ability to read and consider responses in advance of each class session, late responses will incur severe grade penalties: the maximum grade for a late response will be a C. These grades will contribute to the overall Participation grade in the course, which constitutes 25% of the final grade.
Here's how I imagine you doing these assignments:
1. You read the assigned readings, and mark them up accordingly
with passages that strike you. In some cases, you may be assigned
to follow a particular theme or answer a particular question.
Other times, I will leave the assignment open-ended.
2. Having finished the reading, you page back through what you have read, scanning over the things you've marked. You look at the clock and note with satisfaction, or even a touch of smugness, that you have left ample time to think through your ideas, write a careful response, and edit your prose.
3. You sit at a computer and type. You do this in a word-processing program. Blackboard is incredibly unreliable as a text editor, and as some students and I have discovered, it will sometimes forget what you have typed if you try anything tricky. Let me repeat that with emphasis: Do not compose responses in Blackboard. You WILL get burned if you do, and I will not be sympathetic because I am warning you, in bold print even, of the danger. You can be tentative, speculative, or downright wrong about what you're saying.
4. You type a response between 300-400 words
and read it over, fiddling with it as you please. (If you get
carried away and write more than 400 words, choose the parts you
most want us to read and bring your other ideas to class for discussion.)
You take the time you have left between writing and the deadline
to read your response aloud and edit it for clarity.
5. You copy and paste your response into the appropriate place
on the class discussion board.
In all exchanges online, whether in threaded discussions/responses, in virtual chat discussions, or in emails, proper decorum and respect of individual members of the class are required. Please use your common sense to keep unnecessary group/class posts to a minimum and, above all, send only to groups/the class messages that you wish everyone to read.
Should you have trouble with the discussion board server for any reason, send an email to the class (including me) with your response, and post it to the board when the technical problems are resolved.
These responses will be fodder for class
discussions and for projects. Each student should print all the
responses for each class and mark potential comments or questions.
I might collect your copies of the responses occasionally to see
how well this process is working.
FRE 2720-001, The Contemporary French, W 2004 -- Response Assignment
Schedule
Chapter references correspond to Nadeau/Barlow
Response Chapter(s) Group Due by 8 PM: For Class Session:
Chapters 2-3 I M 1/19 Tues, 1/20 (2.1)
Chapters 4-5 II W 1/21 Thurs, 1/22 (2.2)
Chapters 6-7 III M 1/26 Tues, 1/27 (3.1)
Chapter 8 IV W 1/28 Thurs, 1/29 (3.2)
Chapter 12 I M 2/9 Tues, 2/10 (5.1)
Chapters 13-14 II W 2/11 Thurs, 2/12 (5.2)
Chapter 15 III M 2/16 Tues, 2/17 (6.1)
Quebec Readings IV W 2/18 Thurs, 2/19 (6.2)
Chapters 16-17 I M 3/1 Tues, 3/2 (8.1)
Chapters 18-19 II M 3/8 Tues, 3/9 (9.1)
[Spring Break, 3/15-19]
Chapter 20 III M 3/23 Tues, 3/24 (10.1)
Chapter 21 IV M 3/29 Tues, 3/30 (11.1)
Chapters 22-23 I M 4/5 Tues, 4/6 (12.1)
The Plague, Parts 1-2 II W 4/14 Thurs, 4/15 (13.2)
The Plague, Parts 3-4 III M 4/19 Tues, 4/20 (14.1)
The Plague, Part 5 IV W 4/21 Thurs, 4/22 (14.2)