Discussion Board

Discussion Activity Guidelines

General Guidelines: The discussion forums provide an opportunity for a collaborative and informative dialogue among peers. The expectation is that students have completed the assigned readings prior to engaging the discussion topic and have conducted independent research into the assigned prompts. This allows the discussions to remain focused and relevant. Each forum activity consists of two postings: an original (or primary) post and a reply posting. Both the original and reply posting must be submitted for the activity to be considered complete. Discussion activities are excluded from the late work policy. This is a "conversation" between classmates, so it must be timely.  Discussion grades will only be posted after the Unit deadline, to allow everyone an opportunity to participate. You may not go back and address discussion topics once the Unit has been completed. The deadline to complete each discussion activity has been identified in the course schedule. Part I - Original Post/Thread Guidelines:  The original post/thread will always be due 48 hours ahead of the unit deadline. This allows your peers the opportunity to offer a meaningful reply. Each discussion activity involves an element of independent research and critical analysis. I will post the discussion question at the beginning of a unit. The questions will address your understanding of central themes in the textbook and your ability to think critically about the course material to apply it to real life situations. The intent is to go beyond the textbook. The minimum research criteria is one reputable source. You may use a scholarly article, but that is not necessary. Other examples of reputable sources include well known and trustworthy newspapers, news magazines, news websites, a court case or an actual law, and government websites. The course textbook, reference materials, Wikipedia, internet search engines, blogs and similar items are examples of unacceptable sources on the collegiate level. The minimum writing requirement for the original post is 200 of your own words, excluding citations. Your responses are to be in essay/paragraph format. Be sure to fully address each prompt and cite supporting evidence. The grade for the primary post will be determined by the quality, depth and originality of your writing. Finally, provide a word count at the end of the post.

[Chapter 14 - Freedoms Revisited]

The themes of democracy, equality, and liberty are emphasized in the textbook. Do students have a better understanding of those terms today than when they started this course? Do they think the United States has a moral responsibility to spread democracy throughout the world? If so, how should it be done? How could Americans export their strengths (such as freedom) without exporting some of our weaknesses (such as low voter turnout)?

You will not be able to see the work of other students until you have submitted your original posting.

[General parameters consistent with your syllabus, e.g.:

Remember:

· You cannot get an A on this assignment unless all key arguments, facts, assertions and claims in both your primary and reply posts are substantively supported with high quality research citations.

· Always identify sources with both MLA in-text (parenthetical) citations and references (in a Works Cited section at the end of your posting).

· The minimum writing requirement must be met and exceeded using your own words (do not include cited information in your word count).

· Don't forget to include your word count!

· Both the original and reply post must be submitted by the assignment due date in order to receive any credit for this assignment.]

All submissions are checked for plagiarism using SafeAssign. Plagiarized submissions will result in an automatic zero for the course.