Lark Lindholm



Jo Blo

I.D. #123456

jblo@ucalgary.ca

SOCIOLOGY 205, Winter 2005

DIARY ASSIGNMENT

For Professor R. Ponting

This document complements, rather than supersedes the formal assignment. Read and follow the formal assignment carefully.

NOTE: This is not like some other journaling or diary assignments. This assignment is not asking you to write about your feelings. It requires 4 specific things of you:

1. that you write about what you have learned in class

2. that you reflect on what you have learned and write those reflections in your diary

3. that you discuss the issue/topic with someone outside of this class and provide your reflections on your conversation

4. that your take time to edit your work or, better yet, have someone else take a look at it for you.

THE TASK

Reflect on required reading material, lecture material, class discussion and videos as well as any WWW sites visited in class. Discuss your reflections with others outside of your class. Write an entry of approximately 1-1½ pages in length under a Heading showing the date or week of the class (should the issue or topic cover more than one class) and the issue or topic presented in class. The content of your diary entry must include the four elements listed above to receive the marks awarded for each element.

It is suggested that you engage in 3 separate diary entries and then submit your best two. The diary entries you submit must show that you have reflected on different issues/topics.

What do I mean when I ask you to reflect?

Think about the material you have been presented.

• What did you learn and were you surprised with what you learned?

• Did what you learn challenge your beliefs or understanding of the world around you?

• Has your learning created new insights for you or provided you with more questions you would like to see answered?

The point of this exercise is to help you develop a train (or chain) of thought. That cognitive skill will be an invaluable tool as you proceed through your undergraduate degree.

For more information see Guidelines to be Followed

SPECIFICATIONS

1. The diary assignment should include 2 diary entries. It must be no more than 3 pages (plus a cover page), and no less than 2 full pages (plus a

cover page). Write the maximum to ensure you meet the requirement of

each element. It really will not be difficult to do.

2. Double spaced, 12 point font with 1” margins. Do not double-double space between paragraphs.

3. Take note of the Cover Page example and the information that is required. Please provide your information on the cover page as it is illustrated in the

example. Number each of your pages. If you are familiar with inserting

headers and footers you might like to place your name and student

number on each sheet as well in case there is a mishap.

4. Write in full sentences and use paragraphs. Spelling, punctuation and grammar count; so, make use of the spelling and grammar check on your computers or, better yet, find someone you know who writes well and ask him/her to read your work. Using the help of an editor does not signify weakness. It actually identifies a truly intelligent person who is always looking to improve his/her skills.

Read the document entitled “Common Grammatical Errors and Their Correction” found on the instructor’s home page at

It provides examples of common errors found in student writing and shows how to avoid them.

5. Do not provide information which would reveal the name of persons with whom you have engaged in discussions that are reported in you diary entries. For example, use a “relative” rather than “my father” or “a co-

worker” rather than “Jane”. Consider identifying your discussion partner(s)

by age, gender or occupation.

6. Be specific. Cite the reference if you are writing about material covered by the professor, the text or video. Identifying particular material will help to identify the issue or topic presented in class and could contribute to your understanding of the material or concepts covered.

7. Did I mention proof-read your work!

GUIDELINES TO BE FOLLOWED

1. To demonstrate your learning, use the phrase “I learned that …”

2. The learning on which you report can be of different types:

• Some will be distinctively sociological in nature (i.e., insights gained from sociological theories, concepts and perspectives)

• Some will be merely factual in nature (i.e., demographic or historical information)

• Some will be self-learning (i.e., about your own values, assumptions, stereotypes, social situations, etc.)

• Some will be about the world view of others

2 Element 3, of the diary assignment, requires that you engage others in discussions about the particular issue or topic presented. Seek out a variety of conversation partners, including friends, co-workers, relatives, or strangers on the C-train. What is important, in this element, is not just that you identify that you spoke with someone; it is critical that you demonstrate how you processed the interaction intellectually.

3. For elements 2 and 3, the following are but a few examples, among many other possible ones, of ways in which you might demonstrate that you have been thinking about course material:

• exercising your critical faculties -- e.g., challenging someone else’s (or your own) logic, biases, ethnocentrism, or oversights

• articulating or questioning your own values, priorities, or assumptions and seeking out their roots

• applying theories learned in this or other courses (e.g., Intro Sociology)

• comparing/contrasting a Canadian situation with an analogous situation of another people

• asking critical questions like:

➢ Do actors have hidden agendas?

➢ Cui bono? (Who benefits?) and Who is disadvantaged?

➢ How do power and privilege play a role?

➢ What social forces are standing in the way of change?

➢ “What if …?” questions (whether counterfactual or not)

➢ Whether there are any contradictions inherent in the situation

➢ What don’t you know that you need to know?

➢ What is keeping one from taking action?

• Developing typologies (classification or categories)

• Exploring in your own mind

• Formulating causal hypothesis

• Taking on the role of the other (mentally placing yourself in the ‘shoes’ of another)

4. Your diary entry for a given class or week should discuss one topic or issue. Beware of superficiality.

5. It is better to write too much than too little as you work on your diary entries. It is much more effective to finely hone your work than to superficially attempt to stuff it with …..!

6. Did I mention proof-read your work (

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