Religion in Latin America – Reading Response Guidelines

–Response Essays:

                        –should be typed, 1 page, single-spaced

                        –submit via Blackboard

                        –see syllabus for due dates

—What is a Response Essay?

·      your response to a key concept in the week’s reading, something that you find particularly compelling or fascinating

·      if multiple articles in a given week, don’t try addressing all of them

·      identify the reading upon which you’re commenting (author/title)

·      explore and comment in detail on one piece, one article, one chapter, a set of key passages in the book, etc.

o   demonstrate that you’ve read the article/book carefully, by including specific details/examples from the work

·      relate the text you’ve chosen to:

o   concepts introduced in lecture or discussed in class

o   another reading or excerpt from our Religions class

o   a film shown in class

o   an example from outside of class:

§  a news article

§  a podcast or piece you heard on the radio

§  a current event,

§  a feature film or television episode

§  a religious service, ceremony, or performance you have attended

§  material learned in one of your other classes

Evaluation and other considerations:

·      each response essay is worth 20 points; lowest score (or one missed essay) dropped

·      employ formal, academic tone

·      it’s ok to use the first-person pronoun; you’re voicing your own thoughts

·      response essays are not a summary or abstract of the reading

·      however, this is still a formal essay:

o   it should reveal a close reading of the material (e.g., examples from the text/piece + your scholarly analysis)

o   it should be informed, well-reasoned, and analytical in tone

·      Your response essay must pertain to / explore one of the readings from the week in which you’re submitting your essay