When to add something to the wiki
The course relies heavily on student-centered discussion generated by the contributions to the course wiki. Not everyone has to make all their comments before the first class discussion each week, but try not always to make your contribution on Thursday night.
What should you include
Your contribution can take the form of a text you want discussed (the Victorian Web contains much of the reading so you can just copy and paste your passages), a comment on someone else's passage or discussion, an introduction of some information you think might help us understand the text under discussion. [Anyone who wants more writing practice can instead submit the more elaborate question set described below.]
How to do it
Since most of us, whether freshman or faculty, have difficulty moving from an idea or argument to our evidence, or from the text back to our argument, you should occasionally try to create a graceful and effective introduction to the passage you chose that suggests why a reader should want to follow you as you examine it closely. Hint: never introduce a passage with "[an author] says" or "states."
Ask a question or questions (for which you do not have to know the answer) about something other than the meaning of life or some other big idea — say, some technique, matter of context, or both.
Will my wiki contributions receive a grade, and how will they affect my grade?
Landow and Miller will not mark your contributions, though they will occasionally make suggestions about improving or just varying your writing. They will do their best to keep track of any improvements you make during the course of the semester. Brown doesn't permit giving marks with + or -, and the consistency, timeliness, and quality of your contributions often make the difference between a C and a B, or a B and an A.
Optional question sets
Anyone who wants the writing practice can send in a complete question set, which consists of the following parts:
- A substantial passage of 1-3 paragraphs or stanzas;
- A graceful and effective introduction to the material you chose that suggests why the reader should want to follow you as you examine it closely;
- At least one paragraph of commentary after quoted passage..
- Four or five questions, chiefly concerning matters of technique and comparison to other works, for which you do not have to have answers. As the semester progresses at least one question should involve a comparison of the text you discuss with one read in a previous week.
- A title for your question set and include your expected graduating class.
Last modified 27 January 2010