Blogging will be key to the success in this course. For those of you who have never blogged before, no worries. This is not a technically difficult process. It’s more like sending an email than anything else. Pedagogically, however, it serves a number of purposes.

First, blogging allows the members of the class a chance to critically reflect on the readings and our discussions in a public way. Rather than having a private conversation with the instructor through reflection papers, blogging allows the whole class to participate in an ongoing open conversation about the key themes, questions, and problems raised by our materials.

Second, and in a closely related point, blogging encourages vibrant discussion in the classroom. Since every student must critically engage the material before the class meets, the pumps are primed for thoughtful conversation about significant issues when we come together in person.

Finally, blogging leaves an archive of the trajectory of the course–the things in which we are interested and the problems with which we struggle throughout the semester.

To encourgage these goals, our blogging will follow a two step process.

• Initial posting: Each week a group of four or five students will offer openning posts that will serve as the basis of our conversation for the week. These posts are due the Friday before the class meeting.
• Response postings: The remaining members of the class, those who did not offer an initial post, will comment on and respond to those initial posts. This process will begin our critical discussion before we enter the classroom. These comments and responses are due the Monday before the class meeting

Some things to consider in your postings include: How does this reading deal with the distribution of power in American society? What frameworks does it offer us for understanding the distribution of power? What do you think is the most interesting part of this reading? Why? What criticisms do you have of the author’s approach? Her use of sources? Has the author overlooked something in her analysis? What will you continue to look for as you read more?

You will be graded both on your Initial postings and on the quality of your participation as a commentor and responder.

This is the culminating project for the course. You will be responsible for creating and edited collection of 10 primary sources that focus on a topic or question of your interest related to our work. Each primary source will include a 100-200 word headnote, in which you will introduce the source and relate it to the collection. Additionally the collection will include a 2,000 word introduction in which you provide the background for your exploration and explain your rationale for selecting the sources in your collecction.