Reading Response

Criteria for Reading Responses
This assignment can be done on *ANY ONE* of the scholarly articles we read this semester (not on scripture readings). Your textbook readings and supplemental readings are all considered fair game for this assignment. It is primarily to demonstrate that you read and thought about the text as it relates to the course and your own life. I am looking for a level of detail and sophistication that shows some level of depth of understanding and insight and not just a cursory read of the text. The question I will base your grade on is: can I tell from this essay whether or not you read and if you made an effort to understand it.
The reading responses consist of two paragraphs, each with a different purpose:
​1). Summary paragraphs: Tell me what the reading was about as specifically as possible. By this, I mean I should be able to tell how well and how closely you read based on the amount of detail you provide. Writing glossed-over or non-specific summaries will result in a poor grade. Be as detailed and specific as possible. Adding quotations from the reading will enhance this. You may find it difficult to summarize an entire reading, especially if it’s a longer one, which is understandable. In that event, please focus in on a portion of the text that you found interesting, while still referencing the rest of the reading so I can see your engagement with it. Writing on the whole article is the goal.
​2). Specific Passage/Quotation/Anecdote: Tell me about a moment in the text that really appealed to you, made the reading come to life, moved you, bothered or irritated you—anything really that evoked an emotional reaction works best. Demonstrate how this passage fits into the larger scheme of the reading and/or explain how it illustrated a specific aspect of lecture or film materials. THIS IS NOT THE PLACE TO TELL ME YOUR FEELINGS ON THE PASSAGE. YOUR REFLECTIONS SHOULD REMAIN FOR THE LAST PARAGRAPH.
​3). Response paragraph: Respond to the reading in some capacity. In this section, feel free to engage what you found most interesting in the text and use your creativity. In this section you can: relate this reading to lecture/ film materials, highlight interesting or surprising facts, relate the reading to your everyday life or religious life, make connections between texts, look for insights into your own tradition or community, persuade me why I should or should not assign this text in the future, etc. No matter which direction you choose to go with this response, you MUST make use of evidence from the text and your response must be directly related to it somehow. Again, this is the place to show me you read and are thoughtful when doing so.

The requirements for these essays are:
​-12 pt. Times New Roman font
​-1000 words
​-5-7 paragraphs (recommended, not required)
​​-3-5 summary
`​​-1-2 specific passage
​​-1-2 response
​-Consistent citation style of your choice (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.)
​-Typed, double-spaced
​-Use of first person only permissible in last paragraph
​-Proper grammar, spelling, punctuation