Journal 3

REL 223 – Religions of the World: East and West Journal Guidelines and Rubric Guidelines The  journal  is  to  be  an  example  of  the  student’s  ability  to  write  and  analyze  the  material  he  or  she  is   reading. An attempt should be made to integrate material from the myriad of books and notes in this course. Journal entries should be made for each of the seven major world religions considered. Your journal should contain complete sentences and be grammatically correct. While you are reading, write down what goes on in your head in “stream of consciousness” style in the margins of your book, in a notebook, or in a computer file. You will be making a record of images, associations, feelings, thoughts, judgments, etc. You will probably find that the record contains:

 Questions that you ask yourself about the narrative and events as you read (answer these

yourself when you can).  Memories from your own experiences provoked by the reading.  Guesses about how the text might proceed and why.  Reflections on striking moments and ideas in the book.  Comparisons between how you behave and how the author describes actions and behavior.  Thoughts and feelings about content.  Comments on how the story is being told. For example, write any words and phrases that make

an impression on you, or motifs/themes which you notice the author using.  Connections to other texts, ideas, and courses.

A journal entry consists of two parts:

1. The first part is a direct quotation of the part you noted from the text, copied word for word, and enclosed in quotation marks. Be sure to include the author’s last name and the page number of the quotation in parentheses after the quotation. MLA format requires that you use the last name, a space, and then the number, e.g., (Ludwig 89).

2. The second part of the journal entry is a paragraph that explains why you found the passage

to be important or interesting. Sometimes students ask questions about the reading, or they explain it, or relate to it in some way. Whatever you do, do not simply summarize the contents of the passage. Instead, go beyond it somehow, analyze it, offer thoughts about why it seems important to you or to others. In essence, by writing about the importance of the passage, you will give it meaning.

It is also helpful to explain what is going on in the text at the time of the passage (the context). Some students like to write (1) what is happening in the story, (2) what the passage says, and (3) why the passage is important or interesting. This structure is not necessary, but sometimes it helps you organize your responses. The quality of your thinking and the energy with which you attempt to analyze your reading are the most important aspects of this assignment! Journal Scoring Rubric (Total of 20 points possible)

Journal Entries ought to evidence the following:

 Required  elements  in  the  “Journal  Guidelines”  (Addendum  2  to  the  syllabus)  A direct quotation of the part you noted from the text, copied word for word, enclosed in

quotation marks, and properly cited.

 Interaction with guiding questions for the assigned readings that are supplied in the module.

 Your individual response to the material and readings. This should include why you found the passage important or interesting, your own personal critical reflections, questions you have about the passage, strengths/weaknesses of what is being said, and/or practical implications that follow from the what is said in the passage.

 At least one paragraph long, with proper spelling and grammar.

Your written communication ought to evidence the following and will be graded accordingly: Rating Scale High Quality: Corresponds to an A- to A (18 – 20 points)

Adequate: Corresponds to a B- to B+ (16 – 17 points) Needs Improvement: Corresponds to a C to C+ (14 – 15 points) Inadequate: Corresponds to a D (12 – 13 points) Not Attempted: Corresponds to an F ( 0 – 11 points)

Elements

Criteria Pts Not attempted

(little to no evidence of

element)

Inadequate (does not meet expectations;

performance is substandard)

Needs Improvement

(works towards meeting

expectations; performance

needs improvement)

Adequate (meets

expectations; performance is

satisfactory)

High Quality (exceeds

expectations; performance is outstanding)

Assigned Readings (4.5 points)

No use or interaction with the assigned readings. 0–2.9 points

Alludes to or refers to the assigned readings, but very generally with no specific examples. 3–3.4 points

Multiple references to the assigned readings with examples, but not direction quotations. 3.5–3.9 points

A direct quotation from the assigned readings, copied word for word, enclosed in quotation marks, and properly cited. 4–4.4 points

Multiple direct quotations from the assigned readings and integration with prior course readings. 4.5–5 points

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Guiding Questions (4.5 points)

No use of journal guiding questions for the module. 0–2.9 points

Reference to journal guiding questions but no interaction with them. 3–3.4 points

Some interaction with a journal guiding question. 3.5–3.9 points

Answers completely at least one journal guiding question for the module. 4–4.4 points

Detailed, thorough interaction with multiple journal guiding questions for the module. 4.5–5 points

___/ 5

Personal Response/ Engagement (4.5 points)

Little or no personal response, response is entirely based on unsubstantiate d personal opinions, and/ or personal response is not related to the readings and module content. 0–2.9 points

Some personal response, response is weak (logically, factually), and/or response is based very loosely related to the readings and module content. 3–3.4 points

More lengthy personal response, some weaknesses in substantiation of response (logic, factually), and / or not entirely focused on the readings and module content. 3.5–3.9 points

Personal response to at least one passage from the readings and module content, including why the passage is important or interesting, critical reflection, questions, strengths/weakn esses, and/or practical implications. 4–4.4 points

Personal responses to multiple aspects of the module content and readings, including two or more of the following: why the passages are important or interesting, critical reflection, questions, strength/weakne sses, and/or practical implications. 4.5–5 points

___/ 5

Length, Spelling, Grammar, and Mechanics (4.5 points)

Only a few sentences, and/or extremely poor, spelling, grammar or mechanics (utterly atrocious). 0–2.9 points

Less than one paragraph, and/or writing is very difficult to read/hinders understanding of reader due to poor spelling, grammar or mechanics. 3–3.4 points

Almost or at least one paragraph, and/or contains numerous spelling, grammatical and mechanical errors that do not hinder reader’s   understanding. 3.5–3.9 points

At least on paragraph and the essay contains minimal spelling, grammatical or mechanical errors. 4–4.4 points

Multiple paragraphs, writing is clear, and contains no grammatical, spelling, or mechanical errors. 4.5–5 points

___/ 5

____/ 20 Comments/Feedback:

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