On keeping an effective journal:

Michael E. Gorman, TCC, SEAS, University of Virginia

Remember that the purpose of the journal is twofold:

• to get you prepared for class discussion,
• to make it easy for you to do your final essay.

Therefore your entries can be rough, in terms of writing style--they can be done in bullet form or in paragraphs, they can contain incomplete sentences. But they should be substantive.

Dos & Don'ts:

• Put the date & reading assignment for each entry at the top of the first page, and your name. You should have one entry for each reading assignment, unless instructed otherwise.
• The journal is more than a set of notes. Each entry should be a response to the reading. There are usually questions in the syllabus you can use to frame your response.
• Your response should also make reference to specific facts in the reading. It is not enough to say, "The reading was about environmental ethics. I don't like trees or owls and I heard somewhere that trees cause more pollution than industry." You need to show that you've read the assignment and can use its points in defending your opinion. For example, in the above situation, you might focus on whether environmental concerns should revolve around utilitarian benefits for the majority of people or respect for any individuals who might be harmed in the short or long-term or even on the rights of other species. You could strengthen your entry by using one or more of the cases presented in class as examples.
• When possible, make connections to other readings you've done earlier in the course. Remember, your final essay will involve at least a partial synthesis of the readings you have done. It helps to be building this sort of synthesis as you go along, perhaps with a topic for your final essay in mind. Then the essay can emerge from the journal.
• Always include an after-class entry, describing some of the points that were raised, what you learned from class discussion and what remains unclear.

Grading:

Basically, this is a check-off assignment: you either do them, or you don't. If you hand in every journal on time, you will get full credit. (Remember journals can be collected at any time).

We will give check-pluses for entries that go above and beyond the call of duty--make an original point or argument. This kind of entry will make up for a check--minus, and two will make up for a missing entry.

There will also be opportunities to earn extra credit by doing an additional reading.

Check-minuses are reserved for entries that are obviously deficient--could have been done in five minutes before class.