Reading Responses

Within each module, students will complete a reading response. This response is “semi-formal” in nature meaning that it should be polished, clearly written, and should include citations (in APA format) from the weekly readings (the formal part), but you should also feel free to allow your raw thinking come through without concern for being “right” or “wrong” (the informal part). 

The purpose of the reading response is to allow you an opportunity to grapple with the course material. These responses are essentially ways for us to talk to each other about your intellectual development. I also want your reflections to be a useful tool in constructing your final paper, so each response will ask you to think about the key ideas that you might draw into the final paper. 

I want to be clear that this summary is not my way of testing your understanding, but it is instead my way of gauging your understanding. Reading responses are graded for completion, not for “accuracy” though I will provide feedback as part of our ongoing dialogue with one another.

Overall, your response should be ~1000 words and be generally balanced between each section (summary, critical analysis, and reflection).

Summary (~300+ words)

First, I want you to provide an integrated summary of the readings in the context of the central theme of the module. Don’t spend time reproducing what each chapter said individually, but think about the main concepts or themes that connect the readings to one another. Imagine that you are introducing the material to me and you want to draw my attention to ways in which the readings are threaded together. While you should include citations in the summary, you should focus on paraphrasing the authors as you try to draw connections and identify themes. This portion of the response will give you an opportunity to clarify and synthesize your own understanding, and it will give me an opportunity to see how you interpreted the texts. 

Critical Analysis (~300+ words)

Second, I want you to provide a critical analysis of the readings. This is where I want you to directly interact with the text by providing an evaluation of specific ideas in the readings that stood out to you. This is your attempt to grapple with the course material by providing an analysis of what is important, confusing, wrong, or noteworthy in the readings. In this section, your analysis should be extremely close to the text, meaning that you should provide more direct citations that show how you are responding directly to the claims of the authors. Because of the constraints of time and space, you will not be able to respond to everything the authors claimed, nor do you need to do so. Just pick out the aspects of the readings that you found were the most important and analyze them.

Reflection (~300+ words)

Third, I want you to reflect on the readings with an eye toward how they can be used in the final paper. In the reflection portion of the reading response, I want you to start to reflect on how what you learned in this module might be useful for that paper. You can write about anything you find particularly significant, but here are some of the kinds of questions you might consider:

· A powerful illustration of leadership and organizing strategy from When we Fight We Win! is seen in the example of the DREAMers, the young undocumented immigrants who have grown up in the United States and want to attend college, drive, go to work, and thrive in the United States.  Concern for systemic change, commitment to a high level of constituent participation, and the goal of motivating change through individual transformation – all shape the tasks of leadership in social change organizations.  How did Pacheco, Rodriguez, and Matos develop their leadership capacities? What were their own practices for developing leadership in others?  What Structural Barriers to Broadening Organizational Leadership do you anticipate in this example of immigrant rights?

· In Building Powerful Community Organizations, Brown emphasizes that a focus on self-interest helps to avoid the trap of organizing people who only want to help others.  He further adds, if the organization’s action is not connected to its members’ self-interest, then such action or organization is likely to be short-lived.  Why is self-interest so integral in this story of the Trail of DREAMS and immigrant rights?  What tactics did the leaders of the Trail of DREAMs use to incite change? In what way was learning from other movements important in the formation and progression of the Trail of DREAMS?