You will maintain a weekly(ish) blog where your entries will graded based on their clarity and contribution to the course objectives. Occasionally, I will suggest or even assign blog topics, but mainly, the choice of what to write is up to you – as long as it contributes to the seminar in some way. Blog entries should be at least 250 words long and should also contain links, keyword tags and (when appropriate) images.
Blog entries will be assessed on a checkpoint system. Once a week, at an prescribed checkpoint time, I will evaluate one of your blog entries. If, since the last checkpoing, you've created more than one, I will simply evaluate the oldest entry, and the remaining entry will carry over for the next checkpoint.
In total, I will evaluate 8 of your blog entries, automatically selecting the highest-scoring entries you've created. (In other words, I encourage you to create more than 8 entries through the course of the semester).
Finally, I will grade your blogs on a 4-point scale, using the following rubric as a guide:
| Rating | Characteristics |
| 4 | Exceptional. The blog entry is focused and coherently integrates examples with explanations or analysis. The entry demonstrates awareness of its audience (the public), and it considers multiple perspectives when appropriate. Chiefly, the blog entry contributes substantively to the collective discourse of the seminar. |
| 3 | Satisfactory. The blog entry is reasonably focused, and explanations or analysis are mostly based on examples or other evidence. Fewer connections are made between ideas, and though new insights are offered, they are not fully developed. The entry reflects a moderate contribution to the conversation. |
| 2 | Underdeveloped. The blog entry is mostly description or summary, without consideration of alternative perspectives, and few connections are made between ideas. |
| 1 | Limited. The journal entry is unfocused, or simply rehashes previous comments, and displays no evidence of student engagement with the topic. |
| 0 | No Credit. The journal entry is missing or consists of one or two disconnected sentences. |
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[This rubric is adapted from Mark Sample's] |
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Altogether, your blogging comprises 20% of your final grade for this class.
