21st-Century American Fiction. : August 2014

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Welcome

Welcome to the Blog for this semester's class on 21st-Century American Fiction. You'll see the Blog Guidelines on the right hand side of the page. The reading schedule for the class is available on the printed syllabus, and at the Oncourse page for the class. You'll find essays and videos about the authors we'll read on the Resources page at Oncourse. I'm looking forward to the semester, and I hope you are, too.

Blog Guidelines

Throughout the semester, we will use the blog to expand upon the readings, to ask and answer questions, and to pursue new directions in class conversation. For those of you who may be shy, the blogspace is also an excellent place to express yourself.

I encourage you to be creative and innovative in your postings. However, as you post, please keep in mind the following guidelines:

Postings are always due by either noon or 6 p.m. on the date indicated on the syllabus. There is a time stamp. Don’t be late (no credit for late postings).

Postings should be 350-500 words and should incorporate material from the reading (such as small quotes or phrases, key words, or imagery). The post must clearly demonstrate that you have completed the assigned reading and thought about it. Think of the Blog Post as a mini-essay. Your responses to Blog Posts should engage with the details of that post. Explain why the post is valuable. Comment on how the post revised, strengthened, or changed your view of the novel. Feel free also to build on, or extend, the claim made by the post. Each comment should be 200-250 words in length. If the post is due on Sunday, you must demonstrate that you have completed and thought about the reading for Monday; if the post is due on Tuesday, you must demonstrate that you have completed and thought about the reading for Wednesday

Your tone may be less formal than the tone you might use in a paper, but you should remember that you are writing on a course-related blog. In other words, the blog is not your Facebook page or a personal blogspace. Please make sure that the content of your postings is related to the course, its readings, or our class discussions.

Suggested Topics. There is no need to answer all of the questions that follow. I include them to help you think about what to write: (a) Is there a question you have about the reading? If so, ask and suggest an answer for it. (b) What did you learn from the reading? Why do you find this aspect of the reading illuminating or interesting? (c) How might you connect the reading for Monday and Wednesday? (d) You may respond to the reading and class discussion—is there anything you don’t understand? Do you have a different interpretation that we haven’t discussed in class? (e) You may also respond to one of the essay questions about the novel you’ll find posted at Oncourse.

Respond respectfully to another person’s blog posting. If you choose to do so, please avoid personal attacks. Remember to be professional.

Remember that the blog is a public space, accessible and available to anyone. One useful way to think about it: avoid posting anything that you wouldn’t want a future employer to read.

Please review the course plagiarism policies, all of which apply to the blog, and remember to cite page numbers or outside sources when appropriate.

Blog postings will either receive a check mark or they will be graded. See the syllabus for details about grading blog posts.

21st-Century American Fiction.

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Sunday, August 24, 2014

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