EN 326–Shakespeare’s Women , Block 8 2002
Prof. Re Meyer Evitt
The Assignment
E-mail is by definition a form of electronic dialogue. Because of this,
it changes the character of the journal entries you will write. Instead of
working through your ideas in isolation, you have the opportunity here to
explore the assigned readings with your colleagues beyond
the bounds of the classroom. We’ll make this a place where you can compare
ideas about an essay with other class members before we actually discuss the
text in class. You can also use the e-journal to continue a discussion that
began in class or to bring up a topic we didn’t get to.
To ensure that there are actual conversations going on, each of you should contribute two posts for each assignment with each post a minimum of 50-100 words.
In your first post, discuss a text that we’re reading for class on the day after the journal assignment is due. Point out a difficult passage or pose an interpretive problem that you’re working on; ask for feedback on a reading you’re developing.
Then, in a second post respond to questions posed by other students, whether on the next day’s reading or on a previous reading that you’re still working out.
For each of your contributions, use a descriptive heading that will allow your peers to page down through the list quickly to identify topics of interest. Two simple suggestions about the kinds of questions you ask. Avoid questions that can be answered with a simple "yes" or "no"; they're lame ducks. Locate your questions in concrete places in the text; challenge your peers to think about a specific part of the work that is problematic.
Due Dates/Grading
Journal entries are due by 9 p.m. on the following evenings:
Tuesday, April 23–The Taming of the Shrew
Thursday, April 25–A Midsummer Nights Dream
Monday, April 29–Twelfth Night
Wednesday, May 1–Measure for Measure
Monday, May 6–Othello group only
Tuesday, May 7–Hamlet group only
Twelve substantive posts guarantee you a grade of C on
this assignment. However, you should not limit your posts to the due dates
above. The journal is more like a conversation when people share their ideas
and thoughts about the plays in between official due dates. Additional
posts/active, substantive participation in the journal will enable you to earn
a higher grade.
E-JOURNALING: GETTING STARTED (with minor changes from block to block)
1) Use the start menu.
Internet and E-mail º Web and E-mail º Netscape Navigator
[This brings you to the CC home page.]2) Click on Check E-mail located in the lower left-hand corner.
3) Click on the large yellow box that says Microsoft Outlook.
4) In the Log-on box type your student name, e.g. J_Smith.
5) You will see a box that asks for your name and password. Type in:
J_Smith
On the next line type your password.
6) Now you are in Microsoft Exchange. On the left sidebar follow this progression:
Academic Departments º English º Evitt º01/02 Blk 8 Shakespeare’s Women
7) In the upper right-hand corner there is a box that says new message. Click on the arrow and change it to create new post.
8) Type your journal entry and click the small post-it note with a pin through it that is located in the upper left-hand corner of the message box.
That’s all you have to do. Remember, however, if you’re composing your journal entry at the computer and it’s a long one, the computer may ‘clock you out’. If this happens, simply block the text you’ve written, use the edit function to copy the block. Then start a new message and use the edit function to paste the text you just blocked from the first attempt into your new message. You can pre-empt this problem entirely if you know in advance that your post will take a long time to write by writing long messages in Word or WordPerfect, saving the file, and then using the insert function (insert file) to insert the text into your post.