The journal analysis papers are your opportunity to demonstrate mastery of course material. It is intended to be a primary way I assess your critical thinking skills on topics covered throughout the course. It should capture how you’re thinking about culture and yourself as a culturally competent trauma-informed educator develops, changes, and grows more sophisticated as a result of the readings, discussions, videos, and activities. This should be a fluid document. Each class journal, which will be no more than 3 pages in length.
Journal writing is an opportunity for you to react to and reflect upon the readings, the class discussions and exercises, and all the issues surrounding your experiences in this course. These journal entries are confidential and the course instructor will be the only one to read them. There are no right or wrong reflections in your journals; however, your journals will be graded on how well you reflect and make connections between course material and your learning. This progressive journal is the most important assignment in the course, as these writings will be the foundation upon which you process and grapple with the topics and issues we address in this class. It is also an invitation to sit with yourself and self-reflect upon your own personal feelings and struggles. For those of you who enjoy expressing yourselves artistically, you are encouraged to include prose, poetry, music lyrics, and even sketches or graphica if this assists you in self-expression.
You will write a journal entry for each week; however, you will only submit your journal to the instructor for grading 4 times over the course of the Fall. For each journal entry limit your entry to no more than 2.5 pages, double spaced, 12 point type with 1 inch margins. This is an ongoing written assignment in which you will write during the first week of class and note the date. The running dialogue should have the oldest entry on top with newest entry at the end of your journal.
