Journal

Associate reverently and as much as you can with your loftiest thoughts. Each thought that is welcomed and recorded is a nest egg, by the side of which more will be laid. Thoughts accidentally thrown together become a frame in which more may be developed and exhibited. Perhaps this is the main value of a habit of writing, of keeping a journal, — that so we remember our best hours and stimulate ourselves. My thoughts are my company. They have a certain individuality and separate existence, aye, personality. Having by chance recorded a few disconnected thoughts and then brought them together into juxtaposition, they suggest a whole new field in which it was possible to labor and to think. Thought begat thought. [Thoreau, Journal, January 22, 1853]

A writer’s journal or notebook is a great resource for a scholar–a writer and reader in any field or discipline. Ralph Waldo Emerson, the nineteenth-century essayist and a lifelong journal writer, used his journal to produce what he called “creative reading.” He persuaded his young neighbor, Henry David Thoreau, to start a journal—and 2 million words later, it became a great work of literature as well as Thoreau’s field notebook for his explorations. We can do the same (though ours will be a bit shorter).

Here is the gist of the journal assignment (and my expectations):

You will be required to keep a journal throughout the course. The journal is a great tool for you to develop more deliberate reading, which can then extend to more active and thoughtful participation in class discussions. Finally, the journal is a great tool and technique for developing stronger writing projects—from initial brainstorming, through drafting, to improved strategies for revision and editing. You will hear me say often that nobody begins writing productively by staring at a blank page or screen. Your journal means you will never have a blank page to stare at.

On most Mondays when a reading assignment is due, you will also have a Journal assignment that you will post to a discussion board in Canvas. This post to Canvas should be approximately 250 words (more is fine, but you are not writing an essay). Unlike the Blog, your journal writing can be messier, more for notes, quotations, initial responses. You don’t need to be formal, but you do want to be thorough (it pays off later when you go to write your Blog, your Writing Projects, and in class when you participate in discussion).  Include three items for your journal response:

[1]Come to Terms: provide a basic review of the reading by noting keywords, claims, and concepts from the reading. This is also a good place to review recent reading/discussion from the previous week: anything in this new reading that compares/contrasts with ideas from the last week or two that seems noteworthy. This review can be in sentence form or in note form–short paragraph. [Yes, and…]

[2]Forward and Counter: Quote into your journal at least 1 passage that you think is of significance, or at least of particular interest to you [make note of any page citation for future use]; begin to note an interpretive response to the passage–where you might agree and/or where and why you might disagree or have a different perspective. How would you interpret and respond to this passage—if you were to discuss it in class, or write about it in your Blog post? [Yes, but…]

[3]Take an Approach: Write down at least one question you have, unanswered, in need of further exploration and discussion–what else do you want to know from this writer or about this topic? And write down one idea you have, something you want to explore further, perhaps a connection to another text you know, something else we have read or discussed. Where would you go with this idea in further reading, writing, and exploration? [Yes, or…]

Along with the text assigned for that day, you will be expected to have your journal with you for each class session for informal writing and for response to discussion. If you don’t have it, you won’t be able to participate.

Journal Post Rubric [5 points]

5: The reader’s post is thorough in all three areas and participation in class discussion was thoughtful

3-4: The reader’s post and/or participation were sufficient but could be strengthened. We can discuss further where you can strengthen your reading and response in a conference.

1-2: The reader’s post and participation were not sufficient. Schedule a conference with me to discuss how to improve your use of the Journal.

0: Journal not posted.