Reader Responses
There will be four reading response papers distributed throughout the semester.
Each reading response counts for 5% (for a total of 20%) of your final grade. Reader responses should be 800 words (2–3 pages) of double spaced (!) reflections on your reading and 2–3 questions to contribute to class discussions.
Writing reader responses will help you prepare to speak up in class; if a student does not volunteer, she or he may be called upon to speak. Reader responses will be graded. Bring them with you to class to use in a class discussion. Through these reflection papers and the responses to them, students will build and refine their arguments for the two longer papers required in the course.
Student Examples
Reader Response 1 (Student A) (PDF)
Reader Response 2 (Student A) (PDF)
Reader Response 2 (Student B) (PDF)
Reader Response 3 (Student A) (PDF)
Final Paper
You will work on an individual research project throughout the semester and write an 8 page final paper on a topic of your choice. You will submit a preliminary proposal mid-semester and will consult with the instructor about your topic and relevant literature and methods.
If you are a graduate student, you will write a full-scale research paper (25 pages) on a topic of your choice.
The final paper counts for 30% of your final grade (the proposal counting for 5% and the final write up counting for 25%).
Potential Ideas for Your Research Paper (PDF)
Student Example
“Radical Empathy and the Transferential Power of Mass Media.” (PDF)
Student examples appear courtesy of MIT students and are anonymous by request.
