Journal Guidelines

Journal Guidelines

Please buy a simple pocket portfolio folder to stick your Reflective and Double-Sided journal entries in so that they are all in one place.

There are 3 different kinds of journal entries.

1. Reflective journals. These are assigned on specific topics throughout your class schedule, and will be clearly labeled in these guidelines. I encourage you to type them double spaced for the ease of reading.
2. Double-Sided journals. These journals are assigned and are handwritten. You will draw a vertical line down the middle of a piece of regular-sized notebook paper. In the left column you will write salient quotes from a text you’ve read; on the right hand side, you will respond to the quotes you’ve noted. This type of journal will also be clearly labeled.
3. Personal journals. These journals are not assigned. These are journals that you send via email to me. I expect a minimum of 6 personal journals throughout the course of the term, but there is no maximum number you can send. These journals are informal and are not meant as a writing requirement so much as an opportunity for you to get things off your chest, to ask questions that you don’t feel comfortable in asking in class, or to give me a heads up on some needs you have that are nobody’s business. The journals do not have to be a recount of problems or issues; they can be positive; I don’t expect you to either complain when you have nothing to complain about, nor to put on a happy face when you’re not happy.  I respond to these journals just I would to an ordinary email message.  Their length is not important. Long or short is fine.

Note: Please, please, please don’t make a habit of turning in things late. I have three completely different classes to teach, and I also am expected to advise students and attend committee meetings. If you fall behind, I fall behind, and if I don’t have time to grade your materials in a timely fashion, it can impact your final grade.

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