How to

Instructions

All SPAN312 students are “authors” of the present blog. If you are not, write Tamara via email/Canvas inbox with your email address, and she will add you as a user. To create a new post, click on the “+New” button at the top of the blog, which will open a new entry page.

  1. Write your post, reflecting on one of the current week’s readings (see prompt ideas below under “Blog Posts”).
  2. Your post should not include summary and mere observation. You should think critically about the materials for that week, which means you might: make connections between form, genre, and content; think about the text in relation to context and the literary tradition; posit social norms or power structures that the text critiques and note how it undertakes such a critique; etc.
  3. After you’ve written your post, create a short, descriptive title that encapsulates the post in a few words.
  4. Use heading, font, etc. strategically to make your post more dynamic.
  5. In the righthand column of your in-progress post, you’ll see an option for tags, which you should use to make your post easier to navigate. You are required to include a tag for the appropriate week in the following format: week1 (no capitalization, no space, no punctuation, no quote marks). You may use other relevant tags as well, such as authors’ last names, genre, country of publication, main themes, etc. See Tamara’s sample post for examples.

Tamara will create a sample blog post during the first week of class to give you some ideas on how to write a dynamic, conversation-starting post. Your first blog post is a low-pressure, “practice” entry, so you can get some ideas out in blog form and see what works. Tamara will provide feedback to the class before the second posts are due.

General Guidelines

See complete instructions in “Blog & Comments” document under Canvas Files.

Blog Posts

  • Deadline: Thursdays at 11:59PM
  • 250-300 words
  • 7 required—you may skip two weeks

Content

Here are some ideas for what you might post on:

  • Select one quotation (1-3 lines of poetry; 1-3 sentences of prose) from an assigned reading and paste at the top of your blog post. Comment on and analyze quote in relation to historical context, the rest of the reading, genre norms, etc. (Quote is not part of word count)
  • undertake a literary analysis (the function of metaphor, allegory, symbolism, etc. in a text); offer initial interpretation of narrative voice or style
  • given that we are in a course about genres (essay, short story, detective fiction, poetry, etc.), make observations about genre conventions (whether observed or broken)
  • Offer a comparison of two readings, focusing principally on a reading from that week’s unit.
  • Pose a critical reflection question about the reading and propose some initial thoughts on how you would answer it. Your question and post should open a dialogue, not close it, so the question should be fairly thought provoking.
  • Bring to light current events (in local or national news) in relation to a reading.
  • Dive deep into a particular concept or term; bring in etymology.
  • Note if your opinion changed about something due to a literary text we read and explain why.
  • Discuss a reading in conversation with something you learned in another course.
  • relate a literary reading to the historical context; put a reading in dialogue with the lecture
  • engage in depth with a classmate’s post (link to it if you do this)
  • home in on intertextual reference investigate it further, then relate back to reading
  • ABSTRACT: Once during semester, you may elect to propose an initial abstract for the final paper/project. If a particular literary text sparks your interest and you may want to write on that work for your final essay, you may compose a critical abstract that proposes an analysis of the selected text. If you choose this option, please follow the instructions on the “Abstract + Annotated Bib” assignment (in Canvas Files). You may optionally submit a revised version of this blog post for your Abstract + Annotated Bib assignment. (please include abstract as the tag if you exercise this option)
  • Avoid “like/dislike” judgements; we can learn from a text even if we did not like it!
  • Avoid: Summary. We all read the same materials, so jump right in to thinking critically about them!

I want to be clear that I don’t expect fully developed, elaborate analyses in the blog posts! You should spend around 30 minutes on posts—the most important thing is that you are consistently reflecting on our course materials. Your posts should demonstrate that you are thinking analytically about the texts and making some initial interesting connections.

Comments

  • Deadline: Sundays at 11:59PM
  • ~100 words
  • 9-18 total

To comment:

  1. click on the relevant weekly tag (week1, week2, week3, etc.), which will bring up all of the applicable posts.
  2. at the bottom of the post(s) you want to comment on, click on “Leave a comment.”
  3. Engage respectfully and substantively with the post.
  4. Be accurate. If the person includes their name/pronouns at the end of the post, make sure to get those correct if you state their name/pronouns.

Bonus: Respond to each other’s comments! When someone makes a comment on your blog, consider reading it and responding constructively.