Journal Guidelines

You will be responsible for a number of journal entries throughout the term (see schedule for a complete list of due dates).
There will be two basic types of journal entries:
Directed entries are journal assignments that I give you. I will provide you with a topic (a question to answer, an idea to consider, a problem to solve) and a general length. These will generally be due (for discussion) at the start of the next class. However, I will not collect these for grading until the next scheduled day.
Free entries. The topic of these entries is entirely up to you. They must be at least a half-page long (handwritten) but otherwise can be on any topic you wish. Typical topics include: concepts that we have discussed in class, questions about coursework (this class or another) that you are thinking about, ideas/rough work for writing assignments, personal (diary) material, and so forth. These free entries are in addition to any directed entries that we may have; they are due as listed in the course schedule.

Journal entries have a few guidelines to keep in mind:
Generally speaking, I am not concerned with format of journal entries. You can write in cursive or not, you can write on every other line, or only on one side of each page, or however you wish. I don’t care whether they are in pen or pencil, I don’t care about ink color, or anything like that. While I would appreciate your making an effort to proofread, all I really care about is that your handwriting is readable (at least with a little effort).
While you should keep directed entries generally on topic, the free entries are yours to do with as you wish—the important thing is that you are thinking and writing. They need not always make perfect sense to me, they can contain profanity and ‘non-politically correct’ material, and they can be highly personal. HOWEVER, I do ask that you keep one important thing in mind: I WILL BE READING THEM! Please do not put anything in a free entry that would cause either of us any legal complications (for the love of god, I don’t want to know that you knocked over a liquor store last night!).
If you are writing about material that you consider very personal or potentially embarrassing as part of an entry, please let me know by drawing a box around the relevant passage and clearly marking it as PRIVATE-DO NOT READ. I will respect your privacy (entire entries cannot be labeled private, however—I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I’m not that stupid!) Finally, please keep in mind that an outside party will be reading your journal, and may comment upon what he finds there (at my discretion). If you ask a question, I MAY ACTUALLY ANSWER IT!—especially if you actually ‘break the fourth wall” and ask me personally to respond to you.As always, see me if you have any questions or concerns regarding this assignment.