respond

Response Paper Guidelines

Throughout the semester you will be submitting two paged, typed and double spaced reader responses to the assigned readings, as indicated on the course schedule. 

These responses are meant to be an informal exploration of the ideas that you read and your reaction to them. You will not be graded on grammar, form, or sentence structure, although I do encourage you to practice the writing conventions that we discuss in class. 

These responses should not be a summary of the readings or a report of what the selection was about. Instead, your response should contain your reactions and opinions of what we read. 

As you respond to the readings, you might want to focus on a reaction that you had to the selection. Keep in mind that your reactions should be clearly articulated and should show that you’ve given careful consideration to the ideas expressed. For example, “I thought the article was funny” or “I didn’t understand it because the vocabulary was too hard” would not give you much to write about, unless you dig into why it was funny or challenging. If you agree or disagree with an idea expressed, that might also be a great starting point. Explaining why you agree or disagree, and using some examples, would make for a great response. 

You might also want to explain your interpretation of a selection. Remember that an interpretation is not a summary—summaries express the literal information, and interpretations explain what you infer from the literal information on the page. With an interpretation, you can explain what you think the author is hinting at, or what you think he/she wants us to believe. Maybe the author has changed your mind about a particular topic—if so, you can explain why!

As you read, you might also develop some questions about the selection. A response based on some questions that you have about the author’s point would also make for a good response. For example, a question about the motive or bias a writer might seem to have, a question about how the main idea might apply to a similar scenario, or a question about what the author would think about an example that you know of, would all make for fantastic responses. If you ask some of these deep questions, take a stab at an answer. Remember, with these kinds of questions, there isn’t a right or wrong answer!

That’s not all that you can write about, either! Your journals are YOUR exploration of ideas, and meant to spark conversation in class. Have fun and be creative!