48:066 Nonfiction Video Production—Spring 2006

Reading Responses

#1 Due: January 26

#2 Due: February 28

#3 Due: April 18

4 points each

For this course, you will write short responses to the assigned readings three times over the course of the semester. The purpose of this assignment is to create active engagement with the important issues addressed in the readings we will be doing as well as to encourage you to read (and re-read) deeply and come prepared with thoughtful questions and comments for class discussions.

How these work:

For these responses, you will choose an assigned reading that particularly interested or engaged you. You can choose any of the assigned readings, but only the ones we’ve done since the last reading response you turned in. You will then create a Double Entry Journal (or DEJ—a template is available on the course website on ICON). A DEJ asks you to write down a main point from the reading on one side of the journal, and then your thoughtful, mind-blowing, and brilliant response to that point on the right.

Your responses can be brief, but they should demonstrate that you are thinking about and engaging with the material. Your response can be a question about the reading, a criticism, a real-world example that demonstrates the point, etc. Your response should extend beyond a simple gut or emotional reaction though, or a simple “I agree”—it should demonstrate that you are having a dialogue with the reading, even if it’s a critical dialogue—why do you agree or disagree?

Each response should contain at least five points from the reading that you are responding to, and be sure to cite each point with the page number from the text. You may also use direct quotes from the text. The points you choose should also demonstrate that you have read the chapter all the way through—five quotes taken from the first two pages will result in a lowering of your grade!

Reading responses should be typed and single-spaced. You may use the provided template or create one of your own.