History as Fiction Spring 2012
Mitchell
Alongside the assigned reading, you will be doing a good deal of writing for this course, and this
writing will take place in three distinct but overlapping tiers: the notebook, the online reading
journal (a.k.a. “blog”), and the response paper. All three are an extension of the conversation
we’ll be having in the classroom every day—class discussion should be a primary source for
topics and ideas to explore further in your writing.
Notebook
Your single-subject notebook should become an essential part of your daily routine in
preparation for class discussion and during class itself. It should include all assigned overnight
writing prompts, in-class prompted writing, in-class notes from discussion and the rare occasions
when I lecture or present information, independent observations and reactions to the reading and
to your classmates’ comments during discussion, drafts and brainstorming sessions for online-
journal entries and response papers—everything and anything you’d use a notebook for in a class
like this, organized in a coherent, chronological fashion. The only real “audience” for the
notebook is you, so it really only needs to be neat and tidy enough for you to make sense of it,
but it should be clear enough for me to gauge the value and substance of what I’m looking at.
The notebook will be collected once each quarter, and I will announce the date a few days
in advance. I won’t read and respond to your notebook writing; I’ll only be checking to
ensure that you’re keeping active and thorough notes, using the following simple rubric:
A = All assigned prompts, in-class and overnight; consistent notes; substantial
independent writing
B = Two missing prompts; inconsistent notes; undeveloped independent writing
C = More than four missing prompts; sketchy/scant notes; very little developed
Independent writing
D/F = Little or nothing of value or substance.
Online Reading Journal
Your online reading journal will allow you to explore further your responses to the assigned
reading and class discussions, and to share your insights with your classmates (and, potentially,
the wider reading public). You should write in a voice that comes naturally to you, and don’t
worry too much about precision or correctness—this is the place to float ideas you maybe aren’t
too sure about, to see where they take you. I encourage you to read one another’s journals and to
comment on them. The writing on your blog should be more carefully developed, drafted, and
edited than your notebook writing—you are encouraged to use your notebook as a seedbed for
online-journal topics—but I I don’t expect polished and tightly crafted mini-essays; digression is
fine and even encouraged. But do be aware that your classmates may peruse your remarks, and
theoretically they might be read by anyone. You may respond to issues raised in class discussion,
or pursue in more depth ideas we touch on in class. You are free to explore your own
observations, raise questions, articulate frustration and/or delight, draw connections to things
you’ve learned in other classes or in your other reading—as long as the novel or assigned reading
is your point of departure, the direction your journal entries pursue is up to you.
Your first step will be to open a blog specifically for this assignment at blogger.com by Friday,
January 6. Come up with a creative or distinctive title for your journal. Display your first name
only, so your classmates will know whose work they’re reading; it’s up to you whether you’d
like to include a photo. On Friday, January 6, please be prepared to provide me with your
blog’s title and URL. If you’ve never set up a blog or webpage before, blogger.com is very user-
friendly. Give it a shot, and if you have any difficulties, see me (or, better, ask one of the much
more tech-savvy members of the student body). I will link to all the online reading journals at
www.historyasfiction.blogspot.com. (All class documents—syllabi, assignments, etc.—will be
available for viewing and download here, and I will also be commenting regularly on class
activities and related tangents. I expect you to peruse it regularly.)
I will formally evaluate your journal twice per quarter—these dates are indicated on the syllabus.
I expect one substantial entry (two or three or more well-developed paragraphs) or two
shorter entries per week. I won’t necessarily read every word you’ve written, but I will assess
the general quality and frequency or consistency of your writing, the degree to which you have
been able to make this a meaningful aspect of your participation in the course. (Your grade and
my general comments will be delivered to you via email.) I will be browsing around in the
journals throughout the semester in a non-graderly capacity, and I will offer only
“conversational” commentary on your work online (anything critical will be delivered privately).
Online reading journals will be graded on a 50-point scale.
Response Paper
A response paper should present a concise, focused discussion of a specific aspect of a novel—a
scene, episode, or chapter, or even a specific passage; a distinctive feature of the narrative style,
plotting, or characterization; the author’s development of a particular character; a focused and
productive comparison of two important scenes or characters. In some ways, a short essay
presents more challenges than a longer one—you need to present a substantial amount of
worthwhile or insightful material in a limited space. The aim is not to cover a great range of
issues but to delve into one significant issue, theme, or motif in depth and detail. You should
write in a natural, clear, and engaging voice—not overly formal or ornate, but serious and
purposeful—and you shouldn’t waste time with verbose, meandering introductions. Set out your
focus immediately, and get right into it. Of course, you must cite examples and evidence from the
text of the novel to illustrate and defend your claims throughout. The text is the object of your
discussion. Your paragraphs should be well developed, coherent, and follow one another in a
logical sequence.
Class discussions, panel presentations, and your notebook and online journal entries should
provide you with a range of topics you might pursue in a response paper. If you’d like to discuss
a draft in progress, or your general ideas even before you begin writing, please let me know and
we can arrange a short conference. Your response paper should be 3-4 pages, typed, double
spaced, and stapled. Title your short essay, and be sure and include a list of work(s) cited
(MLA style). Deadlines are indicated on the syllabus.