Baker's Home Page | 433 Description | 433 Requirements | 433 Syllabus | Course Descriptions and Syllabi

Purpose: Each week, you will submit a set of focus questions on the assigned readings. These questions will be typed. The primary purpose of the focus questions is to provide you an opportunity to articulate your thinking about the assigned readings before you come to class. Your questions will enhance our conversations about the literature and scholarship we will be reading and insure that everyone is prepared to make substantive contributions to our dialogue in class. Another important purpose of the focus questions is to indicate to me whether you are reading and comprehending all the assigned texts; keep in mind that your questions should demonstrate to me that you have read all the assigned texts carefully and thoughtfully. The more of the assigned texts you bring into your questions, the better. Consult the syllabus for the due dates and assigned readings for each set of focus questions. I do not accept late focus questions. If you are absent when a set of questions is due, you must submit the set the next time you attend class.

Format: For each set of assigned readings unless otherwise specified on the syllabus, prepare four substantive, analytic questions that raise the issues which you think are the most important to address in discussing the author under consideration. If several texts are assigned, each question should deal with different texts. If only one text is assigned, your questions should deal with the whole work, not just part of it. Toward the end of the course, when we discuss only one text during a class, I will ask you to write just two focus questions for the text. Remember that your questions need to demonstrate that you have read all the assigned readings and have thought about them rigorously. Occasionally, I will ask you to bring two questions to Tuesday's class and two questions to Thursday's class rather than submit all four on one day. This will give you more time to read and think about the texts.

Your questions must be typed. On the top right hand corner of the first page of each set of questions, type your name and the number of the set. Consult syllabus for numbers.  

Assessment: The Focus Questions will constitute 33% of the final grade. I will assess them according to how specifically they address the readings, how fully they do so, and how analytically they do so. In other words, I will ask myself whether the questions deal specifically with the texts, offering concrete, specific examples; whether they reflect that the student read all of the assigned text or texts; and whether the student has attempted some kind of analysis that goes beyond mere summary or "plot" description. You need not concern yourself with a single "right analysis," nor need you worry about a "wrong analysis." Any analytic insight that focuses on more than mere summary or surface detail is acceptable. Each set of focus questions will be graded on a scale from 1-5, with 5 representing the highest level of achievement. Missing questions will be averaged in as zero. No late questions accepted. See Course Description for policy on due dates and late work.

Baker's Home Page | 433 Description | 433 Requirements | 433 Syllabus | Course Descriptions and Syllabi