On the days you are not presenting a cultural report, you will complete a 2-page reading response. In addition to preparing you for a generous class discussion, my hope is that you will find these ideas handy when considering topics for your final project.
REVISED: PLEASE POST YOUR RESPONSES BY 1:00 PM ON THE CLASS BLOG
How to begin: Choose a short passage (no more than a few lines) from the reading that merits your attention. It may be one you find puzzling or beautiful, or connects with a theme that interests you, or seems extraneous, etc. Read your passage, several times, and then free-write some notes/ideas (you do not turn these in). In no more than two sentences, write down one claim about the passage.
What to turn in: Include your name and the date; the passage and its citation; a revised claim about the passage (one to two sentences); and a close reading of the passage that is at least two pages. These are neither essays nor free writing; your response papers reflect your active engagement with the concepts and the reading. The response papers should pay particular attention to the formal and the thematic elements of the passage. They are graded on a check system. All reading response papers are due at the beginning of the class in which the reading is due. Come prepared to share your work with your peers.
You are not responsible for completing a reading response on the day you do a cultural report.
Coming to Age 