Attendance/Participation (+ online comments) 15%

Weekly Blogposts 40% (10% each)

Annotated Bibliography 5%

Final Project Presentation 10% 

Final Paper 30% 

Assignments  

Blogposts (four total, 10% each, ~600-700 words each)  

Throughout the course of the semester students will write four blogposts responding to weekly  topics of their choice. The goal of a blogpost is to synthesize ideas from the reading and discussion  and develop them further by providing a close reading of your own example. The blogposts will be  posted on Scalar, the web publishing platform allowing for image annotation. To get maximum points a blogpost has to reference both the readings for the week and the in-class discussion and develop them further beyond mere summary. Use at least one example (textual, image or video) and offer its close analysis in the form of a Scalar annotation. The blogpost on the topic is due by the Friday of the last week that topic is discussed. In addition to four blogposts, students are expected to write a minimum of four comments on the blogposts of their peers throughout the course of the semester. These comments may engage the ideas from the post, provide more examples, or ask questions. The comments are not graded but they are factored into students’ participation grade.

Annotated Bibliography (4 entries, 5% of the final grade)  

Students will complete an annotated bibliography of no fewer than four secondary sources on the  topic of their final papers. Each entry will consist of a paragraph summarizing the arguments of the text as well as its contribution to your thinking of the topic. This assignment constitutes the  groundwork upon which you will scaffold your final paper. Course texts will not count toward the  four-entry minimum.  

Final Project (8-10 pages, 10% presentation + 30% final draft)  

You have the option of writing a traditional final paper (8-10 pages) or presenting your final project in the form of a Scalar book (appr. 2,500- 3,000 words). In your final paper, you can build on the ideas from 1 or 2 blogpost(s) that you made over the course of the semester (however, it cannot be just a combination of your blogposts). You can choose your topic on your own in consultation with  me. You should be ready to present on your topic by the final class. Further information will be posted on the course website.