Power & Imagination Trimble/Kudray

Inquiry Response Fall 2015

See Class Schedule for due dates (indicated as Inquiry #)

We use diverse, interdisciplinary texts to inquire into the main questions posed by this class. (Particularly those
on the syllabus.) To prepare for class discussion, we ask you to practice the skills of critical reading: reading not
only to get the gist of something, but also to develop deeper understanding of connections between what we
read and the world. (In scholarly contexts, to be critical means to engage in analysis of the merits and faults of
a work, to exercise thoughtful judgment.)
For each reading that has Inquiry Response accompanying it on the class schedule, youll write on each of the
prompts below. (Note: On days where two or more readings are assigned, write on the first two listed on the
schedule.) Type up your response using the guidelines for written assignments on the syllabus. Because the aim
of this assignment is to prepare for participating in discussion, think of your audience as our entire class, not just
the instructor and mentor. Assignment length is approximately one page per reading, but length will depend on
what you want to say, so use the one-page as a guide, not a rule.
Your response should be thoughtful, focusing on analyzing what the author is saying, asking questions about the
meaning and significance of the authors ideas regarding our theme, and also analyzing and questioning your
own thoughts. To help with this process, be sure to include the following steps below. (See also the reverse of
this page for additional suggestions.)

Briefly summarize the texts main idea and most important point(s). Try to do this in just one or two
sentences. (What does the author say?) Crucial to critical reading is first objectively understanding what
the author is communicating.

Consider the meaning. (What do I say in response?) After working to understand what the author is
saying, consider what you think about the authors idea. What do the authors ideas make you think
about? What is your response to one or more of the ideas? How do the ideas add to our consideration
of our course theme, Power & Imagination? When explaining your response, be sure to describe what is
the basis for your conclusions. Please note that this is not asking you whether you liked the reading or
notones emotional reaction is valid, but were wanting to get beneath the emotional response into
the experiences, knowledge, and (perhaps unconscious) beliefs that drive your emotional reaction.

Posit questions or thoughts for further consideration. (I want to know, what do others think?) This part
is meant to work through any part of the text that you find unclear, that raises questions for you, or
poses issues for further consideration. Passages that you found unclear on your first read often provide
the best opportunities for class discussion as we work to fully understanding the text and how its ideas
connect to our theme. Or you can ask the class to consider a specific passage in more depth, such as
how it might furtheror even complicate--our thinking about power. Therefore, we offer two options
for this segment of the assignment (choose only one):
a. Write down a quote (or otherwise indicate the passage) that you find unclear or want to raise a
question about. Then pose a question to the class for discussion. Finally, do your best attempt to try to
answer the question, or explain why you have a question about it.
b. Write down a quote (or otherwise indicate passage) that you found thought provoking. Then discuss
why you think its interesting and pose a question or issue for the class to discuss.
For both of these options, be sure to indicate the page number of the quote/passage, so we can
quickly find it in class.

Additional suggestions:
As you write your reflection, be specific in your language and explanation of your thoughts. Consider the
following paragraph:
I really liked the part about women and god. She made some really good points. Like how god is a
man. I dont know very much about colonialism but it sounds interesting. She goes off on lots of
tangents but I think I understand most of it.
Notice how attributes like really good dont actually clarify the writers thoughts about the texts content
indeed, it doesnt really say much of anything at all. When you find yourself using generalized words like good
and interesting, ask yourself WHY do I think its good? WHY is it interesting ? Explaining why you conclude
as you do will give readers a much clearer sense of what exactly you think. You might do this by relating the
passage to another idea weve read about or discussed, or to an experience in your own life. If you think the
author is straying from his or her point, give a specific example (quote from the text, even) and explain why you
dont see it connecting.
To help you develop depth in this assignment, and in any writing, its helpful to go over what you wrote and ask
yourself the questions below, then add more explanation to your writing, as appropriate.

Why do I think this?

How did I come to this conclusion? What specifically do my readers need to know to understand my
point of view? What am I assuming about my reader?
So what? Why is this importantto me, to our class discussion, to our theme, to society in general?

*Note: the reading reflection assignment may evolve as the term progresses, to adapt to the needs of the class
as a whole. Any changes to the assignment will be explained in class and also posted to D2L. *