By clicking the “Free Writes, In-Class Exercises, and Journals” button above, you’ll download a document that includes the prompts for all three assignment-types.



Free writes are quick, informal writing assignments that ask students to think aloud on the page for five-to-seven minutes at a time.  Each free write includes some guiding questions.  These free writes are a tool for invention; in addition, they are a means for students to reflect on current readings and/or to adjust mentally to the ensuing class discussion.  As such, free writes are usually assigned at the beginning of class.  Students post their free writes on the course’s Blackboard site.



In-Class Exercises are group assignments that students complete during class.  Students typically work in groups of three-to-four for about 8-to-10 minutes on a given exercise.  Then, together, we share what was discussed in small groups, looking for instances of convergence and contrast across groups.



Journals are assigned as homework, and students complete 10 journals during the course.  Journals are a space for students to grapple with some of the more salient issues and questions that arise given the week’s/unit’s readings and discussions.  Students post their journals on the course’s Blackboard site, and students are encouraged to read one another’s journals and respond to them if the situation calls for it.

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The course calendar, located within the “Sequence” page, lists when each of these three assignment-types are assigned and due.