African American Lit

Critical Reflections

Your reflections do not have to be formal essays, but you should pay attention to structure, punctuation, and grammar. I am not interested in long general summaries of the material. I want to see specificity, depth of understanding, and critical reflection. I want to see the way that you incorporate course concepts, interpret readings, and connect the textual references. The reflections should be a minimum of one full page and a maximum of two pages in length. Use size 12 Times New Roman font and double-spaced with 1 margins on all sides. Please make sure you are writing at least an entire page. Do NOT include a heading (with name, class, date, etc.); just start writing at the top of the page. I can already see who you are, the date, and what your class section is, so there is no need to include this information.

In your reflection, you should discuss the assigned readings (and videos when they are assigned). Explain the authors or authors main argument (this may include defining any key terms and describing how they supported that argument). Your reflections may also critique and/or question key concepts; note whether you agree with the author or not; how the article/text advances our understanding or not, what is missing from the article/text, and whether it challenges systems of racial oppression. Remember this is not simply a personal interpretation, but a critical analysis from your perspective. Identifying key themes across the assigned readings for the week is highly encouraged and showcases your ability to synthesize. Ive intentionally made this assignment description fairly broad. Its really up to you how you approach it, as long as you demonstrate that youve read and understand the material. Submit by 5:00 pm, on Thursday each that week they are assigned.

I will provide suggestions in the weekly folder for how to approach each individual reflection paper. You are not required to follow the suggestions that I make. They are simply to help you if youre stuck and dont know what to write. I want you all to think critically and independently. Be sure to use specific examples from the text to support whatever argument youre making.

There are 5 critical reflections. Each is worth 10 points.

Assessment of critical reflections.
Excellent Fair Unsatisfactory