Discussion Board Posting Instructions
You will post on our Discussion Board on dates indicated on the syllabus. Questions and topics for postings will be on Canvas. Your postings will be between 50-250 words (depending on the prompt) and engage the question or topic in depth, analyzing quotations and examples when appropriate. Your responses should interpret and analyze course readings, building from previous topics we have discussed. Because these postings are short, you are encouraged to develop your own impressions, rather than consult internet sources. If you do consult internet or any other sources, you must cite them. Cutting and pasting any material you do not cite from websites is plagiarism.
Discussion board postings will be assessed using the following rubric:
4: Exceptional. The discussion board post is focused and coherently integrates examples with explanations or analysis. The post demonstrates awareness of its own limitations or implications, and it considers multiple perspectives when appropriate. The entry reflects in-depth engagement with the topic.
3: Satisfactory. The discussion post is reasonably focused, and explanations or analysis are mostly based on examples or other evidence. Fewer connections are made between ideas, and though new insights are offered, they are not fully developed. The post reflects moderate engagement with the topic.
2: Underdeveloped. The discussion board post is mostly description or summary, without consideration of alternative perspectives, and few connections are made between ideas. The post reflects passing engagement with the topic.
1: Limited. The discussion board post is unfocused, or simply rehashes previous comments, and displays no evidence of student engagement with the topic.
0: No Credit. The discussion board post is missing or consists of one or two disconnected sentences.
Adapted from https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/a-rubric-for-evaluating-student-blogs/27196
Replying to Others
Exceptional. Responses to classmates' postings are clear, specific and forward dialogue with them, asking questions of them as well as making useful comments.
Good. Responses to classmates' postings are clearly worded. Developing ideas; sometimes stimulates discussion.
Underdeveloped. Responses to classmates' postings are often worded in confusing manner and show little sense of what others have written.
No Credit. Abusive or distracting comments; persistent lack of participation.
Discussion Board Posting 1
As you learned in the introduction to Understanding Rhetoric, comics make meaning visually by combining words and text. Memes work in a similar, and often humorous, way. For your first discussion board posting, you will make a meme to teach your classmates about one aspect of the syllabus, such as when assignments are due, what discussion board postings involve, when one should go to the writing center, what constitutes plagiarism, when using phones or devices in class is appropriate, what class participation involves, or how many absences one is permitted. Make sure your meme is appropriate for an academic audience (G-Rated).
In addition to posting your meme on the Discussion Board, you will write a response of least 50 words addressing why the point that your meme makes matters and how its combination of image and text makes meaning. In the introduction to Understanding Rhetoric you will learn about visual literacy. As you discuss why you chose the design, content, and language that you did, make a connection to at least one point in the introduction to Understanding Rhetoric, citing the page number, and quoting the text if relevant.
You can use any application you would like to make your meme, including Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Snapchat, or Instagram, and saving your image (perhaps as a screenshot) to upload. Jing is a useful application for taking screenshots on a computer, for instance of a combination of texts and an image in Microsoft Word.
Some other tools include:
https://makeameme.org/
https://imgflip.com/memegenerator
https://builder.cheezburger.com/builder/
https://memegenerator.net/
This assignment was adapted from one by Dr. Andee Krafft and the example to the right is by her student.
Your posting will be evaluated using the Discussion Board Rubric. Remember to proofread your response.
You are also required to respond to at least one classmate’s posting within 48 hours of the deadline. See the rubric for guidelines regarding responses.
Discussion Board Posting 2
After reading the first chapter of Kamila Shamsie’s novel Home Fire, answer one of the following questions, analyzing at least one quotation from the novel to support your response to each question. Analyze the quotation or quotations you select to support your argument.
Your response will be at least 250 words and take the shape of the "sandwich paragraph" from Understanding Rhetoric. Postings will be graded using the discussion posting rubric. You are also required to respond to at least one of your classmates’ postings within 48 hours of the deadline.
Remember to cite all sources you consult and add a list of works cited that includes the edition of the novel that you quote from. You must use your own words, cite, and quote appropriately. If you are using an e-book, you can cite chapters rather than page numbers in parentheses.
1. The novel begins, “Isma was going to miss her flight.” Why do you think it begins this way? What meaning does the first two chapters bring to this line?
2. How does Isma define home in the first chapter and how does at least one moment in text teach us about her definition of it?
3. The novel’s epigraph is, “The ones we love . . . are enemies of the state,” from the poet Seamus Heaney’s translation of Antigone. Why do you think Shamsie selected this epigraph and what meaning do you see in it, drawing on your reading of the novel?
Discussion Board Posting 3
Your posting will assert a thesis that responds to the following question:
How does Eamonn’s definition of home differ from Isma’s or Aneeka’s? What do these differences teach us about the role of home in the novel?
Use the following template from They Say/I Say to begin your posting, filling in the gaps. For example, “in discussions of” could be followed by home, Home Fire, novels, or another word or phrase. You can imagine what different sides of the issue might be.
In discussions of ______________, one controversial issue has been ____________. On the one hand, ______________. On the other hand, ____________. My own view is ______________.
Your posting will be at least 250 words and you must support and develop your argument by analyzing at least two quotations from the novel. Use the templates in They Say, I Say for introducing quotations and review the sample paragraph in Issue Four of Understanding Rhetoric.
Remember to use your own words, use correct MLA format for in-text citations, and include a list of works cited acknowledging all sources you have consulted, including the edition of Home Fire that you read.
Discussion Board Posting 4
Your fourth posting will assert a thesis that responds to one of the following questions, focusing on last five chapters of the novel.
Remember to use your own words, use correct MLA format for in-text citations, and include a list of works cited acknowledging all sources you have consulted, including the edition of Home Fire that you read.
Discussion Board Posting 5
Your fifth posting will focus on at least one of the following texts:
Karen Russell, "Bog Girl"
Seamus Heaney, "Digging," "Death of a Naturalist," "North," and "The Tollund Man"
Leontia Flynn, "Two Poems"
Mong-Lan, "Elegy, "O New York!," and "Only This Life"
You will assert a thesis that responds to one of the following questions:
1.) How is at least one of the texts we read during the second half of the term relevant in today's world? What in them should readers know? What in the text allows us to better understand our world and what light does our world shed on that of the text?
2.) What is the role of power in at least one text we have read? How is it similar to or differ from the ways we have seen power function in at least one other text we have read this term? Why is this similarity or difference significant?
3.) What role or roles does gender play in at least one of the texts we have read?
Your posting will be at least 250 words and you must support and develop your argument by analyzing at least two quotations from at least one of the texts above. Use the templates in They Say, I Say for introducing quotations and review the sample paragraph in Issue Four of Understanding Rhetoric.
Remember to use your own words, use correct MLA format for in-text citations, and include a list of works cited acknowledging all sources you have consulted.
Discussion Board Posting 6
In preparation for your final projects, you each will make two to three minute screencasts using Canvas Studio. You will post these videos to the discussion board. There is no written requirement for this posting. For a sample video posting, see here.
In your video, you will answer one of the following questions, analyzing at least one text we have read to support your point. You will also analyze one quotation or point from a scholarly journal article that you select from our Google Drive folder. In your video, you will show passages and highlight words, developing and supporting your argument.
1.) How is at least one of the texts we read during the second half of the term relevant in today's world? What in them should readers know? What in the text allows us to better understand our world and what light does our world shed on that of the text?
2.) What is the role of power in at least one text we have read? How is it similar to or differ from the ways we have seen power function in at least one other text we have read this term? Why is this similarity or difference significant?
3.) What role or roles does gender play in at least one of the texts we have read?
Remember to use your own words, use correct MLA format for in-text citations, and include a list of works cited in your video acknowledging all sources you have consulted. This list should include sources and links for images or media you include.
You will post on our Discussion Board on dates indicated on the syllabus. Questions and topics for postings will be on Canvas. Your postings will be between 50-250 words (depending on the prompt) and engage the question or topic in depth, analyzing quotations and examples when appropriate. Your responses should interpret and analyze course readings, building from previous topics we have discussed. Because these postings are short, you are encouraged to develop your own impressions, rather than consult internet sources. If you do consult internet or any other sources, you must cite them. Cutting and pasting any material you do not cite from websites is plagiarism.
Discussion board postings will be assessed using the following rubric:
4: Exceptional. The discussion board post is focused and coherently integrates examples with explanations or analysis. The post demonstrates awareness of its own limitations or implications, and it considers multiple perspectives when appropriate. The entry reflects in-depth engagement with the topic.
3: Satisfactory. The discussion post is reasonably focused, and explanations or analysis are mostly based on examples or other evidence. Fewer connections are made between ideas, and though new insights are offered, they are not fully developed. The post reflects moderate engagement with the topic.
2: Underdeveloped. The discussion board post is mostly description or summary, without consideration of alternative perspectives, and few connections are made between ideas. The post reflects passing engagement with the topic.
1: Limited. The discussion board post is unfocused, or simply rehashes previous comments, and displays no evidence of student engagement with the topic.
0: No Credit. The discussion board post is missing or consists of one or two disconnected sentences.
Adapted from https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/a-rubric-for-evaluating-student-blogs/27196
Replying to Others
Exceptional. Responses to classmates' postings are clear, specific and forward dialogue with them, asking questions of them as well as making useful comments.
Good. Responses to classmates' postings are clearly worded. Developing ideas; sometimes stimulates discussion.
Underdeveloped. Responses to classmates' postings are often worded in confusing manner and show little sense of what others have written.
No Credit. Abusive or distracting comments; persistent lack of participation.
Discussion Board Posting 1
As you learned in the introduction to Understanding Rhetoric, comics make meaning visually by combining words and text. Memes work in a similar, and often humorous, way. For your first discussion board posting, you will make a meme to teach your classmates about one aspect of the syllabus, such as when assignments are due, what discussion board postings involve, when one should go to the writing center, what constitutes plagiarism, when using phones or devices in class is appropriate, what class participation involves, or how many absences one is permitted. Make sure your meme is appropriate for an academic audience (G-Rated).
In addition to posting your meme on the Discussion Board, you will write a response of least 50 words addressing why the point that your meme makes matters and how its combination of image and text makes meaning. In the introduction to Understanding Rhetoric you will learn about visual literacy. As you discuss why you chose the design, content, and language that you did, make a connection to at least one point in the introduction to Understanding Rhetoric, citing the page number, and quoting the text if relevant.
You can use any application you would like to make your meme, including Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Snapchat, or Instagram, and saving your image (perhaps as a screenshot) to upload. Jing is a useful application for taking screenshots on a computer, for instance of a combination of texts and an image in Microsoft Word.
Some other tools include:
https://makeameme.org/
https://imgflip.com/memegenerator
https://builder.cheezburger.com/builder/
https://memegenerator.net/
This assignment was adapted from one by Dr. Andee Krafft and the example to the right is by her student.
Your posting will be evaluated using the Discussion Board Rubric. Remember to proofread your response.
You are also required to respond to at least one classmate’s posting within 48 hours of the deadline. See the rubric for guidelines regarding responses.
Discussion Board Posting 2
After reading the first chapter of Kamila Shamsie’s novel Home Fire, answer one of the following questions, analyzing at least one quotation from the novel to support your response to each question. Analyze the quotation or quotations you select to support your argument.
Your response will be at least 250 words and take the shape of the "sandwich paragraph" from Understanding Rhetoric. Postings will be graded using the discussion posting rubric. You are also required to respond to at least one of your classmates’ postings within 48 hours of the deadline.
Remember to cite all sources you consult and add a list of works cited that includes the edition of the novel that you quote from. You must use your own words, cite, and quote appropriately. If you are using an e-book, you can cite chapters rather than page numbers in parentheses.
1. The novel begins, “Isma was going to miss her flight.” Why do you think it begins this way? What meaning does the first two chapters bring to this line?
2. How does Isma define home in the first chapter and how does at least one moment in text teach us about her definition of it?
3. The novel’s epigraph is, “The ones we love . . . are enemies of the state,” from the poet Seamus Heaney’s translation of Antigone. Why do you think Shamsie selected this epigraph and what meaning do you see in it, drawing on your reading of the novel?
Discussion Board Posting 3
Your posting will assert a thesis that responds to the following question:
How does Eamonn’s definition of home differ from Isma’s or Aneeka’s? What do these differences teach us about the role of home in the novel?
Use the following template from They Say/I Say to begin your posting, filling in the gaps. For example, “in discussions of” could be followed by home, Home Fire, novels, or another word or phrase. You can imagine what different sides of the issue might be.
In discussions of ______________, one controversial issue has been ____________. On the one hand, ______________. On the other hand, ____________. My own view is ______________.
Your posting will be at least 250 words and you must support and develop your argument by analyzing at least two quotations from the novel. Use the templates in They Say, I Say for introducing quotations and review the sample paragraph in Issue Four of Understanding Rhetoric.
Remember to use your own words, use correct MLA format for in-text citations, and include a list of works cited acknowledging all sources you have consulted, including the edition of Home Fire that you read.
Discussion Board Posting 4
Your fourth posting will assert a thesis that responds to one of the following questions, focusing on last five chapters of the novel.
- How does Parvaiz’s definition of home differ from Eamonn’s, Isma’s, or Aneeka’s? What do these differences teach us about the role of home in the novel?
- What role does geography play in the novel? How do the settings differ? Investigate the locations mentioned using Google Maps and other sources. Analyze images of the area and include them in your posting. Make sure to citeall sources you consult.
- In her talk at Colgate University, Shamsie observed that its title suggests both a house afire and the idea of keeping the home fires burning. How does the segment of the novel we read engage one or both of these concepts?
Remember to use your own words, use correct MLA format for in-text citations, and include a list of works cited acknowledging all sources you have consulted, including the edition of Home Fire that you read.
Discussion Board Posting 5
Your fifth posting will focus on at least one of the following texts:
Karen Russell, "Bog Girl"
Seamus Heaney, "Digging," "Death of a Naturalist," "North," and "The Tollund Man"
Leontia Flynn, "Two Poems"
Mong-Lan, "Elegy, "O New York!," and "Only This Life"
You will assert a thesis that responds to one of the following questions:
1.) How is at least one of the texts we read during the second half of the term relevant in today's world? What in them should readers know? What in the text allows us to better understand our world and what light does our world shed on that of the text?
2.) What is the role of power in at least one text we have read? How is it similar to or differ from the ways we have seen power function in at least one other text we have read this term? Why is this similarity or difference significant?
3.) What role or roles does gender play in at least one of the texts we have read?
Your posting will be at least 250 words and you must support and develop your argument by analyzing at least two quotations from at least one of the texts above. Use the templates in They Say, I Say for introducing quotations and review the sample paragraph in Issue Four of Understanding Rhetoric.
Remember to use your own words, use correct MLA format for in-text citations, and include a list of works cited acknowledging all sources you have consulted.
Discussion Board Posting 6
In preparation for your final projects, you each will make two to three minute screencasts using Canvas Studio. You will post these videos to the discussion board. There is no written requirement for this posting. For a sample video posting, see here.
In your video, you will answer one of the following questions, analyzing at least one text we have read to support your point. You will also analyze one quotation or point from a scholarly journal article that you select from our Google Drive folder. In your video, you will show passages and highlight words, developing and supporting your argument.
1.) How is at least one of the texts we read during the second half of the term relevant in today's world? What in them should readers know? What in the text allows us to better understand our world and what light does our world shed on that of the text?
2.) What is the role of power in at least one text we have read? How is it similar to or differ from the ways we have seen power function in at least one other text we have read this term? Why is this similarity or difference significant?
3.) What role or roles does gender play in at least one of the texts we have read?
Remember to use your own words, use correct MLA format for in-text citations, and include a list of works cited in your video acknowledging all sources you have consulted. This list should include sources and links for images or media you include.