Geography 423: Pacific Rim: A Human-Environment Approach

Journal or Log

 

Time-frame of assignment: term-long

Percentage of final grade: 20%

 

Throughout this course, you will need to keep an up to date journal of notes on the readings assigned and of your own observations  in response to issues  posed during the class or from reflections on reading materials. Your journal will be an electronic log so that you will always have access to the master copy but can periodically portions of it with the instructor for purposes of grading.   These journals will be read and graded by the instructor a couple times through the term and again at the end.

 

Expectations, purpose and leaning outcomes of the journal:

The purpose of your journal is four-fold. First, this journal should serve as a well organized compilation of your own major thoughts from the course for future reference. Second, this is intended to act as a catalyst for classroom discussion by providing you with the ability to cite actual examples and sources of hypotheses even contradictory ones.  Third, because you will be organizing and writing out your understanding of materials, this also provides you with a means of critiquing how well you understood various materials. Finally, and most important, it is designed to get you thinking critically about the readings and provide you with the framework for writing your Reading Responses/Exams, in fact it should make those exercises much much easier.

 

In your journal, you will include the following items:

1.    Readings – Major Points:  Reference including author and title then Major points from each of the readings -- very short and targeted bullets on each course reading followed by  a brief description and illustration of the point (this follows the old rule -- statement plus evidence), and finally reflections.

·         The major points/bullets which are short and targeted for each reading/ chapter (usually about three  or so, and try to keep it to five -- do not focus on the minutiae, and do not duplicate normal notes you would take while reading an article – think what are the most important ideas).  Following each bullet provide the following. 

§  Short Discussion related to and following each bullet, what arguments are these authors making? How are they backing up their arguments?  What evidence do they provide?  (basically statement plus evidence)

§  Your Reflections related to these points and over-all article, What do you think? (Here's where you come on stage after everything has been laid out.  I'd save writing this section for after the bullet have been covered, but you might not be able to wait)

2.   Critical feedback on your readings and on class discussions.  At least each week create a critical feedback section.  How do things fit together?  What important new issues have been raised? What more would you like to research?...  Critical feedback can follow each set of readings, class discussions, and video, at a minimum it must occur each week.

·         How do this weeks readings hold together, reflect on any areas of agreement or disagreement

·         How do this weeks readings relate to previous materials including previous readings, class discussions, videos, guest speakers...

·         Are there some general themes present throughout the course that you can identify?

·         How did this week's class relate to previous ones?  What about other courses or materials you are aware of?

·         Ditto on videos.

·         What other personal thoughts might you have?  You may wax eloquently here.

3.  Videos: After each video reflect on the major points much like you would with a reading.

 

 

Your journal is not your notes taken in class

The purpose of your journal is for you to sit back and reflect both on readings, videos, and class discussions.  In class notes can provide valuable input for abstracting thoughts and major points, but these are not the same thing as your log.  Place your class notes somewhere separate.  Likewise if you take very notes while reading an article, place these also in a separate place.  You want to focus on the most important ideas and use this as a place to reflect between materials; past and present as well as class discussions.

 

Structure of Your Journal:

Although a format is suggested here for your journal, you are free to suggest a different format for approval.  If it is clear, concise and well organized I will be delighted to accept it instead.  Whichever way you do choose to structure your log, however, you MUST include an introduction and/or a table-of-contents that makes it clear how you have chosen to order your materials.

 

Bringing your materials to class & turning them in

Bring your recent materials to each class for use as a reference and for sharing orally with others.  Unless otherwise told, at the first class meeting each week bring a hard copy of your most recent work and up to date work for leaving with the instructor.  Together this will enable a more stimulating class discussion and also identify areas that we should spend more time on.

 

*The log MUST be in your own words, and NOT copied verbatim from the readings. These notes are also to be YOUR OWN WORK and not that of your peers. Identical sets of notes will be returned with no points.  If multiple or large sections of your journal is copied either directly from the readings or from another student, it will be considered plagiarism, and you will be subject to academic penalty.