Reflective
This usually happens through a forum in Moodle or a Google Doc.
PURPOSE:
There are at least three: 1) your chance to ask for clarification on a confusing aspect of the text; 2) gives me a sense of your interest and investment in the subject; and 3) shapes the in-class conversation and contributes to the intellectual life of the class.
Format: (one question per week)
• A passage from the text (cite the page number or time mark on the video)
• Your question (ask yourself if this question is from within the text, or from without?)
• A brief comment regarding why your question matters.
• Your name and time you posted it.
NOTES:
• Have some sense of how the passage-question relates to our subject, to what we have studied thus far, and stakes in it.
• Give the instructor and the intellectual community enough time to review and think about your question.
• Though done respectfully, we need not avoid challenging and debating ideas
• Usually impossible to cover every question in the class – our texts are just too rich – I try to address those in some direct or indirect way. You are welcome to emphasize it to me before the class, or discuss it afterwards. Office meeting hours is another possibility.
PURPOSE:
The intention is to revisit the narrative of our study and arrive at your mindful conclusions. I leave the issue of length to your judgment; do state your own rationale for why you chose that length. I prefer “quality” over “quantity”. Here are some guidelines (rules) regarding what makes sense to me:
- Like with all things in life, you have to make sense of what you are doing. “What should be done” and “what is expected” usually come in the way of making sense of things. As I repeat myself again and again, when in doubt the underemployed common sense will come handy.
- Questions such as how do we “conclude” or “revisit” a semester-long conversation and to what end are far from obvious. Offer us some sort of rationale of your own revisiting of the conversation this semester and of your approach to it.
- To revisit a story there has to be a clear sense of the story that you are visiting. Reviewing the Roadmap and readings are critical to addressing these questions.
- All public conversation is an ‘act of persuasion’. You are trying to persuade your audience (the intellectual community) of your analysis and conclusion. Is expressing opinions the same as persuading the person of those? What will it take to persuade?
- Know the relevant texts and readings. A certain level of comprehension of the course materials must be there, and must be put forth in making your points.
- Be persuasive, convincing and credible to your audience (the intellectual community).
If in doubt, employ common sense. If still confused, contact me.
The debate tends to be a fruit and culmination of major portion of the course curriculum. That is why it is a key litmus test as to the failure (and success) of my teaching, and your learning. Though it tends to be enjoyable and often “fun”, it is placed within our study as a very serious and rigorous intellectual practice with immense potential for synthesis of themes and ideas covered.
GUILDELINES:
- Your comments and contributions should reflect mastery and comprehension of the views, modes and perspectives debated and the assigned readings. In other words your comments should display clarity and synthesis of ideas. Reviewing texts, notes other relevant material comprehensively is obviously inevitable.
- It is not enough to know the views of your chosen side only; you must be able to articulate other views/modes/perspectives equally well and be able to see relationship among them all. It means that you must anticipate and guess the kinds of critique others will make of your position and how you’d respond to that. Better the anticipation, better you’d do.
- You may prepare in groups but each person has to choose one’s individual position independent of the other. It is important that your choice of the position is not a function of your group preparation.
- Do not forget that you need a clear opening statement (no more than 2 minutes) regarding your position and your critique or main problem with the other positions individually.
- All comments have to be succinct and straightforward. In one go, no one can speak for more than a minute.
Typically I take the role of moderator (and mediator). You may be asked to comment on the value of your or someone else’s contribution to the conversation, i.e., evaluate.
PURPOSE
Your Interpretive Reflection (called an IR) is a concise presentation of Your Two-Minute Insight on a text/theme/issue for the Intellectual Community and to think deeply on it. These tend to be short, 500, 700 or 1400-words only. (But length may prove to be a veil because putting these together demands much thought, rewriting and revision.) Some students have found this intellectual practice quite frustrating.
WHAT IT IS NOT
Since you are writing for the intellectual community that is already familiar with the text, do not restate or summarize the readings.
It’s not an op-ed or an expression of how you felt about the readings.
WHAT IT IS
Since it’s about deep thinking, with limited words at your disposal, write only after having fully developed your thoughts so you could state those as clearly and succinctly as possible.
Usually, ONE insight is already plenty. At most, only two insights can be accommodated.
Seek to speak from both within and without the text. (Ask the instructor to explain this distinction.) A good IR will be a deep engagement with an aspect of a text, or a theme connecting different texts, themes or/and issues. A good grasp of relevant texts and pertinent issues is therefore a prerequisite.
Be direct and get straight to your insight and present it in a compelling manner. Build your case and show not tell. Like most oratory (and writing), it is geared toward persuading an audience of your insight.
Answer to a FAQ: Yes, you can use first person pronoun. The question is what kind of “I” is speaking in the IR. An “I” that is unreflective, or/and does not engage readings or the audience misses the mark.
HOW TO CHOOSE A THEME:
Choose to reflect on aspects of readings that you find fascinating, intriguing, contentious, or simply unclear/confusing. You may ask: do I care? Is this idea worth my time and effort? Do I care about the topic/theme/text? Also, is the idea manageable within the word-limit prescribed for the assignment?
EVALUATING YOUR IR
ILLUMINE: Does the IR offer something different/new or merely summarize? Why should the intellectual community care about what you have to say?
SHOW/PERSUADE: Does it show (not just state) what it was meant to convey to your audience? Does it successfully convince or persuade your audience?
You are encouraged to engage and provide feedback on IRs written by others. You may also be asked to peer-grade these IRs.
Do mention the WORD COUNT in the end.
The Bible & The Quran – Illustration
