ART F261X — Discussion Forum Instructions

30% of final grade

Every week you will be asked to reflect on and respond to two discussion questions and post your contribution to the topic in the appropriate Canvas Discussion. Your contribution to the topic should be clear, complete, and accurate. This assignment also requires that you read the answers posted by your classmates and each week respond to at least two of those postings.

Grade Breakdown:

  • Two posts: 40% each, total of 80%
  • Responding to your classmates: two posts of 10% each, total of 20%

Your answers and responses must be posted no later than 11:59PM on the Sunday of each week.   See the syllabus for information about late work but do not wait to the last minute to post your answer! Posting early allows you to write thoughtful answers and to be the first one to make important points. Posting early also ensures that you will not miss the deadline.

Your Prompts:

I strongly recommend that you carefully compose your answers on a word processing program. Before posting your answers, check them for spelling and grammatical errors, then save them, and then copy and paste them into the discussion. If, for whatever reason, Canvas “eats” or “loses” your answer, you can just cut and paste it on the discussion again if your answer has been saved on your computer. Prompt requirements:

  • Answer the prompt clearly and comprehensibly
  • Include your voice, opinion, and reflection
  • Pull in information from the readings
  • Use examples of art/artifacts/architecture to support your findings

Your Peer Responses:

In addition to writing your own answers, each week you will compose a response to at least two answers posted by another student. In your replies to other students you can:

1) Expand on or clarify a point made in the answer.

2) Offer an additional argument to support a position taken in an answer.

3) Suggest ways in which an idea could be more clearly expressed.

4) Identify passages where you think the writer misunderstood a concept or applied it incorrectly.

5) Disagree with a point or position made in an answer. If you are disagreeing with the views of another student, please be constructive and respectful in your response. You may criticize a position but not the author. Offer reasons why you think their view is incorrect and support your position by citing the text or other sources.

While there is no required word count for these postings your post or response must adequately address the material being discussed.