After you finish the assigned reading for the week, submit a written response here. A basic response will earn 2 points per week. You can increase your participation grade, however, by adding extra depth to your weekly response. This earns an additional point.

Basic response: this kind of response demonstrates comprehension of the text by summarizing key points without extensive reliance on direct quotations. It should be 200-300 words in length. If you contribute to weekly class sessions verbally then this component is sufficient.

Extra response: to earn a participation point, you may add to the above “basic response” additional reflections including but not limited to the following: generative questions for discussion among your classmates; substantive questions on issues you don’t understand; critical assessments of the readings or alternative interpretations that you find more compelling; or comparison between concepts from this week’s texts and those from another week or another course. Extra responses should total around 500 words.