Journal Guidelines and Rubric

REL 223 World Religions: East and West

Module 2 Journal Reflection 1

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 isreading. An attempt should be made to integrate material from the myriad of books and notes in thiscourse.

Journal entries should be made for each of the seven major world religions considered. Your journalshould contain complete sentences and be grammatically correct. While you are reading, write down whatgoes on in your head in “stream of consciousness” style in the margins of your book, in a notebook, or ina 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 theseyourself 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 numberof the quotation in parentheses after the quotation. MLA format requires that you use the lastname, 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 passageto be important or interesting. Sometimes students ask questions about the reading, or theyexplain it, or relate to it in some way. Whatever you do, do not simply summarize the contentsof the passage. Instead, go beyond it somehow, analyze it, offer thoughts about why it seemsimportant to you or to others. In essence, by writing about the importance of the passage, you willgive it meaning.

It is also helpful to explain what is going on in the text at the time of the passage (the context). Somestudents like to write (1) what is happening in the story, (2) what the passage says, and (3) why thepassage is important or interesting. This structure is not necessary, but sometimes it helps you organizeyour responses.

The quality of your thinking and the energy with which you attempt to analyze your reading are the mostimportant aspects of this assignment!