Reading response guidelines

1. Each reading response should be a short essay of approximately 500 words, 2 typewritten double-spaced pages in length. You must write in full sentences and use proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

2. Your essay should answer the assigned question, drawing on the relevant reading assignment. In general, these questions will ask you to explain or discuss ideas in the reading. It is very important to deal with what the author says about the question, not simply with what you think. (However, you may contrast your own opinion with the author's, offer a critique of her argument, etc. But this requires that you start by setting out the author's position.)

3. Even though you frequently will be dealing with the author's view about the question, you need to express it in your own words. Extended quotations of the text are inappropriate in an assignment of this length, and even short quotations require your analysis (e.g., you will need to explain what the sentence you have quoted means, how it bears on the question, etc.).

4. Misrepresenting the words or ideas of others as your own is plagiarism. You will not receive credit for any reading responses that contain plagiarism (and you will fail the course!), so please put in the effort needed to express your claims in your own words and to give appropriate credit for the words and ideas of others.

5. If you are completely unsure of what the author is claiming or how it bears on the question you have been asked to answer, you should write a brief essay on what the author seems to be claiming, why it does not make sense to you, and what two questions you might ask the author to help you understand his view.

6. Reading responses are due at the beginning of lecture. No late reading responses will be accepted. Of the 3 reading responses assigned, your lowest grade will be dropped from the average.

Reading response questions

Reading response rubric

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