Participation Guidelines
You will be expected to participate in the discussion boards located on Blackboard. I expect you to comment on a daily basis. I understand that there will be days when you cannot post, but you should make sure that you post on each day’s readings several times. Posting after the date that we read the issue once or twice is not a big deal, but try not to make a habit of it.
There are two types of comments that you should be posting as the semester goes on:
- Introductory Posts – These are posts where you state your opinions on the articles or the controversy we are studying. These are your own reactions that are generated as you navigate your way through the course readings.
- Included in this category is the ability to start your own thread. I have set up the Discussion Board so that you can start a thread that you think is not covered by the threads that I have created. New threads can be based on readings from outside of class or other public controversies that we have not covered. Please make sure that the issue you want to discuss is not already being covered in another thread before starting a new thread.
- Response Posts – These posts respond to the posts of your classmates (or me). You may respond to introductory posts or response posts. These posts should add something to the discussion. Simply saying “I agree with . . .” does not represent a good post unless it is followed with some original content.
These posts take the place of in-class discussions and I hold them to a very high standard. This means they should meet certain basic criteria:
- Posts should be free of spelling errors, grammatical errors and text speak (lol, thx, lmnop, etc.). I expect these posts to be professional in nature.
- Posts should avoid personal attacks. Stick to the issues and remain pleasant. I expect some of these discussions to become heated and that is perfectly fine, but stay on topic.
- The use of outside materials significantly helps your argumentative ability. It is not required, but will give a huge boost to your participation grade if done well.
- Posts should be substantial. A few words or sentences are sometimes useful in a discussion, but those types of posts should not represent a majority of your posts.
I will grade participation halfway through the session and then again at the conclusion of the session. Please let me know if you have any questions by e-mailing me at davismk@jmu.edu
Blog Guidelines
You should use wordpress.com to create a blog for this course. You will have to create a wordpress account, but it is extremely easy. Sign up for the account here: http://en.wordpress.com/signup/. Once you have signed up for a blog account please e-mail me the link at davismk@jmu.edu.
Topic Selection: You must choose a topic that you feel that you can advocate for an entire semester. Each blog post will be related to that issue. Some guidelines:
- Be Specific. Choosing “the environment” is too broad. Even something like “global warming” or “litter” is too large. Think about things that you could advocate for so that your individual advocacy is likely to make a difference. There is no such thing as an issue that is too small as long as you think you can post at least twice a week about it.
- Choose Something You Care About. I do not believe that there is any issue that is too irrelevant for you to choose as your advocacy project. You must pick something that will sustain a semesters worth of blog posts and that you will be able to create an advocacy project around.
- Choose something that you can “sell” to others. Is your topic something that is conceived in a way that will draw in others and generate interest? This does not mean you can’t pick something unique – you have to figure out a way to make it relevant to others.
Posting Expectations: You must post at least twice a week. I expect posts to be both informative and original. They should include the use of original research and links to further information when appropriate. When I am grading I look for the following – roughly in order of importance:
- Number of Posts. Two posts per week is the basic starting point. If you only post twice per week every week you are unlikely to get an A on your blog. Think of twice a week as the minimum starting point.
- Relevance to the Topic. Your posts should be relevant to the issue that you choose for your blog. Unrelated posts might be interesting, but those posts might be better left for the discussion boards.
- Original Content. Do you just copy someone else’s ideas or do you add to the discussion of the issue in a new and interesting way? Sometimes summarizing an article or commentary from elsewhere is useful for demonstrating the core controversy in your area. It can even be the best way to introduce readers to your topic. Don’t rely too heavily on the words and thoughts of others.
- Outside Research. I love to hear your opinions and I expect that some of your posts will be your reactions to the world around you, but the strongest posts are going to use outside sources as a jumping off point for the larger discussion. Additionally, using outside sources (and linking them to your blog) will give readers a chance to explore your issue further.
- Relevance to the Course. I would like to see you attempt to connect to your issue. I do not expect all (or even most) of your posts to relate to the course content explicitly, but a few that do will certainly help your grade.
Blog Formatting: I love a pretty blog. However, this is not a class in making blogs. I am not going to mark you down because you do not go above and beyond when it comes to blog design. You should keep in mind that your blog will be the introduction to your issue for many people. Because of that you should do the following when posting to your blog:
- Avoid spelling and grammar errors.
- In general the tone can be informal, but not unprofessional.
- Learn to hyperlink. No one wants to be interrupted when reading a blog by a long URL so learn how to hyperlink the outside source you cite into your blog.
- Include some images or pictures. You are unlikely to have people spending much time on your blog without using some visual images to draw them in. Also, you can often make a much stronger argument when assisted by the use of images.
If you are looking for some tips on how to write better blogs at ProBlogger.
Make Me a Contributor to Your Blog: I will track the number of hits to your blog as one means of evaluating its success so please make me an administrator.
Blog Commenting: A portion of your blog grade (25 points) will be related to your commentary on the pages of others. I expect you to post several times a week on the blogs of others. These posts can be constructive, critical or supportive. The most important thing is that they are more than just a sentence or two. As with everything in this class, I am hoping that you will add to intelligent public discourse. You will be able to find a list of their blogs in the blogroll on the right side of the course homepage as I receive them.
If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me at davismk@jmu.edu
Advocacy Project Guidelines
For your advocacy project you should find a way to spread the word on the issue you find important (the same issue that your blog deals with) to the broader community. During the regular semester I require students to hold a community event. In the interest of the shortened semester and the spirit of the course you may engage in an online advocacy event if you would like. The ultimate goal of your online advocacy should be to inform as many individuals of your issue (and hopefully get them as involved as you can). Here are some things to think about.
Project Choice: The most common question students posit is, “Am I doing enough for this project?” There are a few things I look for when I am grading these projects:
- Are you doing something new, different or original? If you already work at the local SPCA then working at the SPCA is not an appropriate project. This does not mean that you can’t still use the SPCA as part of your project. You just need to make sure you are expanding on your current efforts.
- Are you doing enough to get others involved? If you have a lot of individuals from outside the course visiting your blog and getting involved in your project then that is a good indication that you are doing well on this measure. However, I also know that despite your best efforts you may not have much interest in your project. What I am looking for is “are you doing enough to make people aware of your project and generate interest?” If you do a good job advocating for your issue, but people just don’t show up that will not negatively affect your grade.
Project Format: This is the area of this project where you have to most flexibility. As I stated, during the regular semester I require students to hold an actual event somewhere in the community. If this is something that you are comfortable with or prefer please feel free to pursue this option. However, I know that the nature of this course lends itself more readily to an internet based option so feel free to use some of the following to generate interest and get the word out:
- Wikis
- Online Petitions
- Blog Rings
- Chatrooms/Discussion Boards
This list is not exhaustive by any means and any good project will use multiple means of dissemination. If you figure out appropriate ways to publicize your event that are unique and interesting it will certainly help your grade. You should also make your blog public and searchable to increase the chances that interested individuals will get involved.
Project Portfolio: I will expect you to present all of the aspects of your advocacy project to the rest of the class during the last two days of the semester. These projects should include:
- A narrative description of your efforts including reflections on things you would do differently if you had the chance to do it again. Remember, this project is intended to help you figure out the best way to advocate for those issues you feel are important. If you cannot find anything you would have done differently, then you are probably not being self-reflexive about your efforts. I should also get a sense of how many people you reached out to and how many responded.
- A copy of anything that you used as promotional materials. This includes copies of Facebook pages, e-mail announcements, etc.
- A copy of anything you created to advocate for your issue. For example, if you created a flier that explains the benefits of healthy eating to distribute to schools in your area you should include that in your final presentation.
- Pictures from your event if you had a public event.
If you have any questions please e-mail me at davismk@jmu.edu
Mini-Paper Guidelines
Each week you will be asked to make an argument based on a case study that is currently in the news. You may pick any issue, except for those case studies that were assigned for this class. You should make sure that you are choosing an argument that has at least two sides that a reasonable person could advocate. The guidelines for the paper as follows:
- One page. Single spaced, 11 point, Times New Roman. All I need at the top is your name. Please do not go over or under the one page limit.
- All papers should include at least three sources. These sources should be expert opinions from legitimate sources. Sources used in class do not count towards your total number of sources.
- Papers should be relevant to the course theories and concepts. You do not have to use all of the theoretical readings from class in your papers, but you should draw on at least one reading per week.
- Topic choice is very important. You need to make sure you choose a topic on which a good base of research exists. However, you need to make sure that you do not pick an issue that is so broad that it cannot possibly be covered in a one page paper. Topics like Abortion and Global Warming are interesting and important, but as way too large for one page. Choose a smaller subset of such topics if they are important to you.
- Topics are not trivial unless there is no research base for it. You can examine any current public controversy as long as there is research base for it.
Papers are due each Saturday by midnight. If you have any questions please e-mail me at davismk@jmu.edu
Practicum Guidelines
You are expected to attend five advocacy events and complete a one page write-up. The write-up should include a description of the event (including a link if you have an electronic announcement) and any reaction you might have. You are likely to get a higher grade on these assignments if you find some way to tie your reactions to some of the discussions from the course.
Examples of acceptable events include:
- Political campaign events
- Charity events
- Protests
- Art exhibits
- Fund-raisers
- Other students’ in-person advocacy events
- Hundreds of other events
If you are not sure if an event might count please feel free to ask before you attend. Just send me an e-mail at davismk@jmu.edu. Unfortunately, events that occur online are not eligible for practicum credit. I have a fairly liberal interpretation of what counts as an event, but it cannot hurt to ask.
