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Discussion W4 – Discussion W4 Group 1

From AML4300-22Spring 0W61

6 unread replies.17 replies.

By Friday at 11:59 PM, post a response that answers these five questions by REPLYING below.

 

  1. A "theme" in a literary text is its idea, the concept or concepts it is ruminating on and examining, the statement it might be making (or the statement it is emphatically not making); the message it is imparting; the emotion it is conveying. One poem might have multiple themes, or it might have one theme, or its themes might be really obvious, or very hard to find. Some poems refuse to disclose a meaning, which winds up being part of the meaning. Select one of the ballads in this week’s selection of poems from the second part of the "Street in Bronzeville" sequence. What do you identify as this poem’s main theme?

  2. Identify in the ballad you selected above some of the sound effects at work (see this document Poetic Form 4 – Sounds -1.pdf  Download Poetic Form 4 – Sounds -1.pdf). Name the sound effects and point to them in the poem.

  3. Now select just one of those sound effects and explain what it might be communicating in terms of the theme you identified in question 1.

  4. Select one of the other poems (not the ballads) and identify its theme.

  5. Identify a sound effect in this poem and explain what it is communicating in terms of the theme you identified in question 4.

 

By Sunday at 11:59 PM, post a reply to one of your classmates; if you see a classmate already has a reply, just move on to one who doesn’t. 

Weekly Discussions

Discussions are usually separated into groups of five or six participants. Each weekly Module typically includes a Discussion assignment with TWO DEADLINES.

  1. The first deadline is to post to the Module’s Discussion Board a response to a set of specific questions by Friday at 11:59 PM.

  2. The second deadline is to respond to a classmate’s post by Sunday at 11:59 PM. If you see a student has already been responded to move on one who hasn’t.

The purpose of these deadlines is to establish an ongoing, regular exchange about the materials we read. Think of it as similar to contributing to class discussion in a face-to-face class session. These discussions are graded.

There are no late discussions. Late discussions are marked 0.

HOW DISCUSSIONS ARE ASSESSED:

The first thing to know about Discussion and assessment is that if you miss more than six discussions, you will fail the course. "Completion" includes every aspect of the Discussion : (1) your answers and (2) your response to a classmate. If you miss one part of the discussion, one point is deducted. 

5 POINTS:

You can get up to FIVE points for a Discussion post. This would be for a  discussion post that is clear, to-the-point, and carefully composed, and that demonstrates your comprehension of the material as well as your engagement with your classmates via responses to their posts. Comprehension doesn’t mean "I totally get it"; rather, it indicates that you’ve read carefully and closely and that the texts have raised your own questions, observations, difficulties, and illuminations. Discussions are your place to express these with the class. Generally speaking, a response should answer specific questions in two to four sentences and responses and replies to a classmate should be about two to three sentences. An adequate response to a classmate isn’t "I like that," or something similarly empty; rather, it engages with something your classmate has written about the texts for that week. Think quality over quantity and edit and revise your writing before posting.

4 POINTS:

If you answer the questions in the initial Discussion post but don’t respond to a classmate, your score automatically drops down a point. If your answers are incomplete, your score will begin to go down starting with a point deduction.

3-0 POINTS:

If the quality of your posts is lacking, and if it doesn’t meet the criteria described above, then you will find your score coming in at the low range. 

ETHICAL DISCOURSE

Last but not least, please remember that we must always practice ethical discourse: discussions are to be always respectful, professional, and sensitive. Proper classroom behavior is expected at all times. Students must follow UCF standards for personal and academic conduct as outlined in The Golden Rule. As a matter of common courtesy, please do not engage in conversation other than the classroom critical discussions we will be having about the texts on hand. Proper conduct also entails creating a positive learning experience for all students, regardless of sex, race, religion, sexual orientation, social class, or any other feature of personal identification; therefore, sexist, racist, prejudicial, homophobic, transphobic, or other derogatory remarks will not be tolerated.