Regarding the English 102M Journal I have chosen the literature we will be reading this quarter because I hope that it will inspire you to see literature and America in a new way. Most importantly, I hope these works will cause you to think. The thoughts that will fill your journal will also motivate our class discussion. Finally, writing regularly in a journal is one more way of becoming more comfortable with writing itself.
Literary scholars make their livings interpreting literature.
I do not expect you to be a literary scholar, but I do expect you to exhibit your critical reading and thinking skills. Your insights and ideas about the works we read this quarter are just as valid as those of the literary scholar. Don't underestimate yourself, and don't be afraid to take risks. Decide what the readings say to you and respond to some of them in your journal before entering class and taking part in the discussion. Your journal should be very helpful for discussion, quizzes, and papers.