Enrique G. Murillo, Jr., Ph.D.

College of Education

 

 

EDUC 709 - Murillo

 

On-going Journal Reflections on Readings

 

(20 points possible, weekly participation)

 

 

 

Instructions: Keep a weekly journal where you are actively engaging with the course readings.

 

Your journal is not a simple summary of the readings per se, but rather a place where you reflect on your learning experiences, the readings, and class discussions.  In this course you will be presented with many ideas related to issues of history, diversity, equity, and leadership. In particular, the readings will de-center dominant discourses and narratives and if at certain points, you feel that your opinions or experiences are not valued in the readings or class discussion, then your identity may be part of the privileged group that week, which the readings are meant to de-center so that we may learn from marginalized experiences.

 

Thus, it is vital that you reflect, write, and draw connections between the readings, your personal experiences, and your professional experiences.  The weekly journal is a place for you to document your reactions to the readings as well as pose questions that you are struggling with in relation to issues of diversity and equity. 

 

You need not turn in your journal so as to be “graded,” but rather instead are expected to bring your journal with you to every class session, as the insights you document and the entries you write on a weekly basis, will help you contribute to class discussions.

 

If it becomes noticeable that students are not keeping up with their journal entries, they will be due via Black Board on a weekly basis.

 

 

Your journal should demonstrate evidence of:

 

  1. Careful, systematic reading of course materials, and synthesis of class discussions so as to elucidate significant issues, questions, actions, assumptions, and dilemmas.
  2. Deep reading/reflection of your “positionality”. In other words it describes where the you stand in relation to the authoritative discourses represented in the readings and class discussions. This might include insights, understandings, confusion, wonderment, differences, interests, commitments, and emerging positions in response.
  3. An emerging ability to deconstruct, or critically unpack what is said/not said, justified, implied, desired or taken for granted in the course materials, discussions and experiences.