Daily Questions

The main purpose of the daily questions and other “special assignments” is to help you focus your preparation and begin working beneath the surface of the reading, so that our class discussions can be even more productive. Don’t settle for easy answers! Instead, you should use these questions as opportunities for careful reflection on the interpretive challenges of these very difficult texts.

Here are the main requirements:

    • Your answer to each question must be a single paragraph. (Occasionally there is more than one question listed for a day. In those cases, each question may be answered in its own paragraph.) A paragraph is an intellectual unit (not just a typographical one), making a single main point. That point should be stated in the first sentence, and then supported with textual evidence and interpretive argument in the rest of the paragraph.
    • You must include at least one citation of a specific passage from that day’s reading that supports your answer.
    • You should compose your answers carefully: clear thinking and clear writing go hand-in-hand.
    • You should take care to avoid spelling and grammatical errors. Excessive mistakes will lower your grade.
    • Your answers must be typed or very neatly handwritten (I can’t grade what I can’t read!).
    • All of your answers should be brought to class in your binder, unless I have it at the time [see below].

Over the course of the semester, you may skip up to four days’ daily questions, but not more than one day for any single author or text. (And keep in mind that you are always responsible for being prepared and participating in our class discussion.) You may not skip any of the “special assignments.” For each additional or impermissible missed day, your overall preparation grade will be lowered by one notch.

If you know that you will miss a class meeting, you should talk with me in advance to make arrangements to submit your answer or other assignment. Late work will not be accepted without prior arrangement, unless the Powers That Be verify that you were unable to submit your work on time. In that case, you must turn in your work as soon as you are able. In the event of an extended illness or other emergency, I will be happy to make any reasonable accommodation.

I will collect each student’s binder more or less randomly throughout the semester, and provide feedback on all of the work since the last time I collected it.

Your answers will be graded as a set, not individually. Several times during the semester you will receive a progress report, providing an overall sense of what you’re doing well and how you can improve, and indicating your grade to that point. Here are the criteria that will be used:

OUTSTANDING (A-level) answers typically:

  • Reveal sophisticated and creative insight into the text and issues.
  • Make very careful and precise use of textual evidence.
  • Express your point in a concise and lucid way.

GOOD (B-level) answers typically:

  • Demonstrate an adequate level of reflection and insight.
  • Provide textual support.
  • Express your point comprehensibly.

FAIR (C-level) answers typically:

  • Show some reflection on the reading.

    But have serious flaws, such as:

  • Do not go far enough beneath the surface of the text.
  • Are based on serious misunderstandings of the text.
  • Do not include a specific citation from the text.
  • Are confusing.
  • Contain too many spelling, grammatical, or other mechanical mistakes.

UNACCEPTABLE (failing) work does not consistently demonstrate a serious attempt to complete the assignments, or otherwise falls far short of acceptable college-level work.

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