The Assignment
To foster connections between our online and offline engagements, to help us to cultivate our class community, and to give you even more opportunity to shape the class, you and 5-6 classmates will lead us in a mini diablog about the readings. The first diablog will begin on October 2, with an in-class presentation on October 6th.
WHO? 6-7 students per group
WHAT? Engage in an online and in-class discussion of the reading for the assigned week.
HOW?
- Post one reflective blog post per group member on reading 5 days prior to in-class presentation and leading of discussion (for groups presenting on thurs, you should post on Sunday; for groups presenting on tues, you should post on Friday)
- Engage in a dialogue through comments, more blog posts, live-tweet dialogues on days 2, 3 and 4
- Present on process/findings to class on day 5
- Post summary of process by two days after in-class presentation
WHY?
- To contribute to the larger archive of our blog
- Develop more effective understandings of the readings and feminisms/feminist debates
- Learn from each other
WHEN? Sign-up for a week. Here’s an overview of a sample week, with the assignment taking place over 7 days:
Day 1 Carefully read assigned essay, each member posts initial blog entry
Days 2, 3, 4 Engage in online dialogue with other group members
Day 5 Present findings to class
Day 7 Post summary of the diablog experience as group on our blog
ASSIGNMENT BREAKDOWN:
Initial Blog Entry: graded individually, worth 25 points
You are required to post a 300-500 word entry in which you provide a brief summary and critical assessment of the assigned reading. Your entry will serve as the starting point for your engaged discussion with your group members. Your entry must be posted by Day One at 11PM.
Posts/Comments/Tweets: graded individually, worth 60 points
(posts@20; comments@10; tweets@5) After reading each other’s initial posts, you will participate in an online dialogue about the reading and your reactions/understandings. You can choose how you want to discuss the reading. However, each group member must contribute 60 points worth of participation. Here are some possible ways to earn those points:
- 1 response post (20 pts) + 4 comments (40 pts)
- 2 reflection posts (40 pts) + 2 comments (20 pts)
- 12 tweets for live-tweet conversation (60 pts)
- 6 tweets for live-tweet conversation (30 pts) + 3 comments (30 pts)
There are many possibilities for how you can engage with each other; it is up to your group to decide. Remember that the goal of this assignment is for you to collectively (and collaboratively) engage with the reading in deep and meaningful ways.
In-class Discussion: graded collectively, worth 40 points
You and your group members are required to give a brief (5-10 minute) in-class presentation on your reading and lead a 25-30 minute discussion about it on day five of your assigned week. You may present the material in whatever ways you think will be most effective in encouraging class engagement and discussion of the reading and its ideas in relation to feminist debate. This presentation should include references to/highlights of your diablog/dialogue. For your leading of discussion, make sure that you bring at least 2-3 questions to ask the class.
Summary of Diablog: graded collectively, worth 25 points
At the conclusion of your week, you will collectively/collaboratively create a summary of the key points of your discussion. This summary should be in the form of a 300-400 word blog entry. This summary post should include direct references (discussing + linking) to moments of your online diablog. It should be posted to our blog by day seven.
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