Evaluation Webpage One
- Creating connections between literary works across time
- between the different periods covered in our reading
- between historical periods and the present
- Giving the appearance of having read and understood the literature we have read
- Being able to create a thesis statement and support it with evidence:
- evidence from primary texts
- evidence from secondary sources
- evidence from colleagues
- Using literary terminology effectively
- Using Modern Language Association (MLA) format correctly to identify sources (quotes, paraphrases, examples, and so on)
- Creating clear essay, paragraph, and sentence structure
- Beginning to use the online medium effectively to communicate ideas
Trace a conflict, concept, or theme through the work of at least three of the authors we've read so far this semester (in other words, in our first five weeks) and that you see as connected to the present day. One of the three must be a poet.
You may choose any conflict, concept, or theme that you find compelling; however, to give you some idea of conflicts, concepts, or themes that might fit this assignment, here are some samples that might work (feel free to choose one of these if it seems compelling to you):
- What perspectives on freedom of religion do we see in these writings? What are the key concepts that are competing with each other? Which writers best represent these competing perspectives? Is there change or stagnation over time regarding these beliefs about freedom of religion? What connections do you see between the discussions of religious freedom in these writings and in the U.S. currently?
- What do these writings teach us about the debate between individual liberty and community responsibility in the U.S.? What are the roots of this debate? Which writers represent which perspectives? Are the sides clear-cut or are there overlapping positions? Is there change or stagnation over time? What are the connections to current debates in the U.S.?
- What do these writings tell us about the development of race relations in the U.S.? What ideas are influencing racial attitudes and their changes or lack of changes?What competing perspectives on race relations do we see at work in these writings? What connections are there between the perspectives in these writings and current race relations in the U.S?
- Similar questions to those above could be asked about
- the role of women in society,
- the place of the captivity narrative in our culture,
- the development of ideas about what it means to be "American,"
- what are the goals and principles that guide the U.S. as a nation.
The audience for this writing includes the instructor (me) and all of your classmates and any random yahoo who happens to come across it once it goes on the web.
The Evaluation Webpage will be a document made by you and posted on the web by me. This webpage will be graded on content and structure rather than graphic design. I will grade the webpage based on how it achieves the "learning goals" listed above and conforms to the format below. Here is the specific I will use.
Your webpage should have a title, and you should be noted as the author somewhere on the page.
The page should use a structure that includes an introduction which explains the main point of the page (the thesis). The body of the webpage should be in an understandable order and include complete sentences and paragraphs. It may be helpful to think of the webpage in an essay form with an introduction, body, and conclusion.
To support your ideas please include the following:
- at least one specific example or quote from the work of each of the authors you have chosen
- at least one reference (i.e. quotes, paraphrases, examples, and a link) to websites I have directed you to visit,
- at least one reference (i.e. quotes, paraphrases, examples, and a link) to a credible website you have found yourself,
- at least two references (i.e. quotes, paraphrases, examples) to Discussion postings by your colleagues.
Additionally,
- bulleted lists may be used, but are not mandatory;
- images may be used, but are not mandatory;
- audio and video files may be used, but are not mandatory.
If you've never built a webpage before, that's okay. You have several options.
- You can use Microsoft Word to make a document that looks like any other Word document, but with hyperlinks and/or pictures added. Then just send me this document as an attachment to an email by the due date/time.
- If you have a favorite webpage building program, such as Microsoft Frontpage or Macromedia Dreamweaver, you can use this program to build your page. Then just send me this document as an attachment to an email by the due date/time.
- If you don't have a favortie webpage building progam, you can download the program NVu for free from . This is an open soruce webpage building program that is based on the old Netscape Composer program. It's free and it works well. After you create your page, just send me the document as an attachment to an email by the due date/time.
As I receive these pages, I will upload them to the web so everyone can view them. I will announce the link in the News section of our course.