Recently in Assign. Descriptions Category

ONE Here's some information about the Remix/Redux/Revisit blog entry: The purpose of this entry is to revisit an entry, reading, or topic from early in the semester and to critically reflect on how your perspective has shifted (or been reinforced) during the course of the semester. This assignment should be posted by dec 7. 

Here's how:

• Pick a reading, one of your past entries or a one of my class summaries from the first half of the semester (up until 10/25).
• Write up a 1-2 sentence summary of your thoughts from that time.Then, critically reflect on how your thinking about the reading, the topic of your entry, or the topic of that class discussion has shifted (or how it has stayed the same--or been reinforced).

TWO And here's some information about the Final Wrap-Up:

BLOG ESSAY ENTRY REQUIRED ELEMENTS

1. A (roughly) 250-300 word description/discussion of your chosen term. In this discussion, you should provide your own understanding of the term and why it is important for queering theory. This part of your reflection essay/entry should draw upon at least 3 sources (from our readings/your first presentation/annotated bibliographies). I would encourage you to draw upon your own previous entries and link to them.

2. A (roughly) 250-300 word reflection on the question: What is queering? In answering this question you are not required to provide THE definition of queering (which is not possible), but to reflect on what you think queering is. You should draw upon the readings, our discussions, our blog, outside sources, and your own ideas. I would especially encourage you to reference other students' posts (by discussing and linking to them).

3. A (roughly) 350-400 word reflection on the process of tracking your term. This reflection should occur in two ways: 1. A reflection on the process of tracking your term and 2. A reflection on the process of using/participating in the blog and on twitter. In composing your response, answer the following questions:

• What did you learn about queering theory and your term through this process?
• How was the process of writing on the blog and using twitter helpful (or not helpful)?
• What would you like to tell future students about the blog/twitter experience (advice, etc)?
• What connections can you draw between queering theory and blogging/tweeting? How did (or didn't) our blog/twiiter feed allow for a queer space or enable us to engage in practices of queering?

This essay-entry is due day of your presentation, dec 8 or dec 13. Sign-up for your day, by commenting on this blog post. We can have up to 5 people on either day.

PRESENTATION: You will sign up to do a 12-15 presentation on your blog post. You should highlight some key features of your post. Make sure to keep your comments brief; 12-15 minutes isn't that long!

NOVEMBER

8 Nyssa presents on liminal

19 Track term comment #2

22 NO CLASS (catch up on blog)

29 Gina and Briana present on bodies/material experiences

DECEMBER

1 Annotated Bib #3

1 Dunstan presents on youth

6 Gabe presents on surviving/thriving

7 Remix/revisit (details discussed on nov 17)

7 DE Comment 2

7 Queer This! Comment 3

7 Tweet sources 7,8 and 9

8 Turn in blog worksheets for final time

8 Final wrap-up post

8/13 Final wrap-up presentation (sign-up sheet + details discussed on nov 17) 

13 Final class!

Reading Mash-up Assignment: Part of Reading Engagement Grade, due 10/27

Here's the sign-up sheet with your chosen terms.

3 Annotated Bibliographies (of sorts) Posts
These 3 annotated bibliography entries should include a brief summary and engagement with a number of different outside sources (that is, sources that are not included on the syllabus) that relate to your chosen topic. Each entry should include at least 3 sources, one of which must be a "traditional" academic source (an academic article or book). You may also write about films/videos, other blogs, websites, news articles, commercials, songs, poems, images, etc.

Your annotated bibliography should begin with an overview of how your sources connect (and why you are grouping them together in your entry). Then, each bibliographic entry should include:

a. Title of the source.
Your title should also be a link to the source (or to a more detailed citing of your source). Just in case you have forgotten, here is how to create a link within your entry:
Highlight the title in your entry. Scroll up to the chain image at the top of the entry box and click on it. Put in the URL (address) for your link and hit okay.

b. Author/authors of the source.

c. Brief summary.
You should provide a brief summary of the source and how it relates to the term that you are tracking. This summary should include any specific passages/ideas that you found useful, thought-provoking and/or inspiring.

d. Additional sources and/or directions for further reading/thinking.
Each entry should include your reflections on further research/thinking about your term. If possible, mention any additional sources that your source discusses that might be useful.

e. Where/how you found this source. Describe the process of how and where you found your source. What database did you use? Did you find it randomly in the stacks at the library? Did you find it in a search through google or google scholar? Did you stumble across it on twitter? Did another student/professor suggest it?

f. Formal citation.
In addition to linking to your source, you should formally cite it using MLA style.
Category: your tracking term subcategory (e.g.: homonationalism or gender)

2 Comments on Other Bibliographies
Your comments should demonstrate a respectful engagement with the author and their ideas. You could post suggestions, thoughts or reflections on their topic. You could also discuss how their topic connects to your topic.

9 Tweets on Term Sources
You are required to tweet about 9 sources that you found while tracking your term. Your tweet should include a link to the source and a brief (remember, you only have 140 characters total) description of or teaser about the source. Spend some time thinking about how you want to describe and present your source to your readers. You can check out my undisciplined twitter account (@undisciplined) for examples of tweeting sources. Remember to use the hashtag for our class in your tweet: #quet2011

Due Dates:
Annotated Bibliography #1: October 5
Annotated Bibliography #2: October 31
Annotated Bibliography #3: December 1
Track Term Comment: October 22
Track Term Comment: November 19
Tweet Sources 1, 2 and 3: October 5
Tweet Sources 4, 5 and 6: October 31
Tweet Sources 7, 8 and 9: December 1

Here's a revised list of tracking topics (1-2 people per topic). I will distribute a sign-up sheet in class today and then post it on our blog. 

Want to know how past students have tracked their terms?

• Tracking a theorist: Jasbir Puar
• Tracking Topic: Resistance 
• Tracking Topic: Bodies and Material Experiences

3 Query/Queery Responses
You are required to comment on three query/queery entries posted by me throughout the semester. Your comments should offer a thoughtful engagement with my question/s. This engagement could involve providing a tentative response and/or posing even more questions.

If you are posting your comment after others have already commented, you should incorporate at least one other student's responses into your comment (by using their comment to support your own ideas and/or by directly responding and diablogging with that student--in your comment, use @ + student's alias to indicate that you are speaking directly to them),

Due Dates:
Query/queery comment 1 (required): September 20
Query/queery comment 2: October 6
Query/queery comment 3: October 31

This category is for posting images, news items or anything else that you feel speaks to issues related to queering theory and/or our readings and class discussion. It could also include anything that you believe especially deserves a queer analysis. Entries filed under this category should be entries that invite us to apply the queering skills we are learning to popular culture/current events or should inform us about ideas/topics/images that are important for queer theory and/or queer communities. When you are posting a comment on a "queer this" entry, you should clearly identify (in a sentence or two) what queering theories/tools/strategies you are using.

2 examples posted as entries
The only formal requirement for these posts is that you find an example (it could be an image, an article, a movie/commercial/television show, a song) that relates to our course topics and readings and that you believe deserves/demands a queer analysis. Make sure to post the image, link or embed your youtube video. Check out my how to blog tutorial for more information on how to do this.
Category: Queer This!

Note: It is possible to earn up to an additional 10 points extra credit if you submit more than 2 examples. Each extra example is worth 5 points (so you can submit an additional 2 examples: 2 @5 points each = 10 points).

3 comments
For each of your posted comments, you must provide a queer analysis of and/or commentary on another student's "queer this" post. Your comments should be substantial and go beyond a mere reaction to the example. You need to offer a well thought out response. Try to draw on our readings, discussions or other blog entries.

Note: It is possible to earn up to an additional 10 points extra credit if you submit more than 2 comments. Each extra comment is worth 5 points (so you can submit an additional 2 comment: 2 @5 points each = 10 points).

Want to see how students have used this category in the past? Check out these examples.

2 Tweets
You are required to post a tweet about each of your two queer this examples. Your tweets should include either a link to your example or a link to your queer this blog entry. Be creative in your brief discussion of the example on twitter. Remember to add the class hashtag: #quet2011.

Due Dates:
Example 1: September 16
Example 2: October 5
Comment 1: September 20
Comment 2: October 31
Comment 3: December 7
Tweet 1: September 16
Tweet 2: October 5

3 Direct Engagements with the Readings
You are required to write 3 entries in which you engage with our course readings. There is no word count requirement. Your entry can be as long (within reason) or as short as you think necessary in order to demonstrate a critical engagement with your chosen reading/readings. By critical engagement I mean that your entry clearly demonstrates: a. that you have closely read (that means more than once or even twice) the reading and b. that you have thought through it in terms of appreciation, critique and construction. I would encourage you to play around with your word count, but aim for shorter entries rather than longer ones.

Appreciation involves figuring out what the author is saying and demonstrating a clear understanding of their argument and how they develop and defend it. Appreciation does not require that you agree with the reading. Instead, it requires that you clearly state what the author is trying to state. What is their main argument? What is the purpose of that argument? How do they defend it?

Critique involves assessing what the author is saying. Critique should not involve a total rejection of dismissal of your chosen readings. Instead, they could involve raising some critical or questions and/or exploring the benefits or limitations of the argument.

Construction involves applying the concepts from the reading to your own thoughts, areas of interest and research or experiences. It could also involve applying the reading to the topics/discussions of our class.

One of your direct engagements must be on your tracking topic extra reading. These readings will be posted when we discuss your tracking topic assignment on sept 20th.

You may also do a live-tweet of your engagement with the reading/s. You could do this alone or with 1-2 other class members. If you live-tweet, you must embed all of your tweets into a blog post and include a brief discussion of how twitter helped/didn't help you engage with the reading/s. While there is no min/max tweet for this assignment, you need to include enough tweets to demonstrate a critical engagement with your reading/s.
Category: DEs

Mash-up
More information coming soon.

Remix/Redux/Revisit
More information coming soon.

Comments on other DEs
You are required to comment on 2 other direct engagements. Your comments should demonstrate a respectful and critical engagement with the post author's entry. You can build off of what the post author is saying or raise some critical questions of their summary/assessment of the topic of their direct engagement. The purpose of these comments is to further our blog/class conversations and our exploration of the readings/topics. Therefore, make sure that your comments are respectful and aimed at opening up more discussion as opposed to shutting it down. 

Due Dates:
DE #1: September 22
DE #2: October 31
DE #3: based on tracking topic presentation date
Mash-up: November 25
Remix: December 7
DE comment 1: September 27
DE comment 2: December 7

Make sure to keep track of your DE entries and comments by filling out your blogging/tweeting worksheet and putting the static links of your entries/comments/tweets in a word document. 

DIRECTIONS: (taken directly from worksheet)
All of these dates are due by dates (as opposed to due on).This means that you are encouraged to post them at any time during the semester by the required due date. It is strongly suggested that you do not wait until the night before your due date to post your entries/comments/ tweets.
Fill out the following worksheet and hand it in on October 6, November 1 and December 8. Additionally, keep track of all of your blog posts (entries and comments) and tweets by creating a document that includes links to all of them.You will be required to hand in a hard copy of this document with your filled out worksheet on12/8.

Make sure to keep track of your DE entries and comments by filling out your blogging/tweeting worksheet and putting the static links of your entries/comments/tweets in a word document. 

EXAMPLES FROM PAST CLASSES

• example one 
• example two
• example three