During Stage One, students will work in small groups to collaboratively write a significant reading response for each assigned reading.
Following the class discussion of the assigned readings--ideally by the Friday after, but certainly by Monday afternoon--each group will share with me the collaborative draft of your reading responses as a Google doc (placed within the appropriate folder). Select someone from your group to inform me that the response is shared.
What is required of you
In your reading response for your group, please address the following points:
First, each reading response should strive to provide a comprehensive (one full paragraph) summary of the argument that reveals the method of research at work in the reading. Feel free to draw from our class discussion to assist you.
Second, each member of the group will share their critical response in one full paragraph, which will include how you might extend and apply the method/argument to your current projects, and/or explore how other points of view (especially from other readings) might be brought into conversation with the artifact.
Note: "critical" does NOT mean: find what's wrong with it. That is a superficial understanding of the word "critical," which is intellectually stingy and lazy. To be "critical" means to "discern wisely," to appreciate what is actually given (its strengths and weaknesses), to apply what is given to new situations, and to bring what is given to dialogue with other perspectives. This is a central practice of this course.
Third, during Monday and Tuesday before class, if I have posed any questions and/or responses intended to contribute to (extend and deepen) your summary and critical response in some way, you are expected to respond to these questions and responses.
DK: When I ask questions and provide responses, this is what they will look like: interrupting the text in the Google doc itself (not as a mere "comment"--I will reserve comments to surface considerations). When you respond to me, please do so directly following what I have written, setting off your text as its own single-spaced paragraph, using your initials at the beginning of your text. Please select a legible color (Yellow on white is not terribly legible, now is it?)that is not already taken (I am sorry, but I will always be this shade of blue). Once you have completed your reply, select your initials and add a comment assigned to me, indicating that your reply is ready.
My questions and comments will center on having you represent the text fully, on its terms, rather than converted into your terms. Your terms are wonderful, but that is not what we are doing: you must get (demonstrate having gotten in your writing) a given text on ITS terms so that you might challenge and complicate your terms. What is it saying? Did you authentically listen to the text? To what degree does what the text says challenge and/or complicate your inventory?