Most responses thus far have had a fair share of typos and other mechanical errors (including fragments and punctuation errors).
Please make sure to edit carefully before posting your comments.
Responses count for 20% of the course grade: content matters but so does presentation (especially in a writing-intensive course).
1)WHEN matters. (Leaving out WHEN someone was born, accomplished something, or faced opposition affects the clarity of your argument and evidence, and without dates or clear time references readers easily get lost and miss key points. While African Americans faced some of the same adversities regardless of when they were born, it still mattered if they were young adults, for example, in the 1880s v. 1890s or protested their condition in the 1910s v. 1920s. A single event–such as the release of The Birth of a Nation or World War I–affected how whites and blacks thought and acted.) (Note also that leaving out key info suggests that you do not know it; grades for projects–as types of “tests”–reflect this apparent lack of basic knowledge.)
2) Do not ignore week 1 materials and information (people, issues, problems, etc.) when reading for week 2 and writing week 2 projects and responses.
3) Do not ignore responses. Like “assignments” and projects, they will be critical for the final project, especially as your classmates are providing thoughtful commentary and useful facts, suggestions, and clarifications. (“Admin” responses add context and clarification.)
4) If you have not read all of the week 1 announcements, do so as you will be assumed to have read them–and failing to follow instructions impacts your work and your grade.
