General Instructions s9

Reading Form

General Instructions

This reading form is to be filled out prior to class on each day for which there is a reading assignment. In practice, this will be all days of class save when there is a test, or when a paper is due. Assume that a reading form is to be filled out for each class unless I tell you otherwise.

It is preferred that these forms are typed, but as long as they are legible, I will understand if they are not.

These forms are to be kept in a Reading Journal, which is to be turned in at the end of the quarter.

Author:______Date:______

Title of Reading:______

Specific Selection or Chapter:______

1. What was your favorite sentence from the reading? Copy it out here.

2. Were there any words you needed to look up in the dictionary? What are they? Please give brief definitions of them. Were these technical terms, crucial to the discussion in the reading? If so, then a dictionary definition will not suffice for an understanding of the philosophical significance of those terms. Indicate which terms you suspect were technical, and why. 3. Select a paragraph from the reading that you would like to talk about. This should be a paragraph that intrigued you in some way—that sparked some sort of insight, or that evoked a substantive response. While the paragraph can contain some bits that you don’t fully comprehend, do not select a paragraph that is utterly mysterious to you. Rather, select a paragraph that you find interesting and about which you have something to say. a. Indicate (by page number, or by other means) the paragraph you have selected.

b. When you get the time, copy that paragraph on the back of this page. (Type it out, or photocopy it and paste it on the page.) You need not do this right now, but do make sure to do it before you hand in your Reading Journal. c. What do you want to say about this paragraph? 4. Formulate two questions about the reading. These should be questions that you don’t know the answers to, but would like to know the answers to. These questions should be about issues raised in the reading. They can be “small” questions, focused on some one or two sentences, they can be larger, “big picture” questions, or they can be about related issues that the reading raised in your mind. If the questions concern some particular passage from the text, make sure to identify that passage (though you need not copy it out). Please type or write these questions out clearly as you will be bringing them to class and sharing them with the other members of the class. Do not fill in the “Reply” section—that will be filled in by another student in the class. Bring these two questions to class!

Question 1:

Reply to Question 1 (Name of Responder______):

Your response to this reply: Question 2:

Reply to Question 2 (Name of Responder______):

Your response to this reply: 5. This space is for any other remarks you have about the reading: deep thoughts it inspired, connections to other things you have read, characters or scenes in movies that it reminded you of, frustrations with the readings, comments for the author, beginning thoughts for a paper topic, etc.

How these Reading Forms will be graded: I will be looking at the thoughtfulness of the questions you ask, the quality of your replies (on your colleagues Reading Forms), the evident carefulness with which you have thought about the reading, the amount of effort you have devoted to these Reading Forms, and the sophistication of your remarks.