Students write 2-3 critical reaction papers distributed over the semester. The final project involves 5 short, informal responses to readings about equity issues in education, a group presentation, and a final synthesis paper of how others learn. Part of the information used for the final project stems from a community service project and interview with a community member. Students conduct a research project and report on their findings in a more formal paper. All of the papers are evaluated on a point scale and students have the opportunity to rewrite any unsatisfactory papers after a consultation with the professor.
Students keep a reading log and write take-home midterm and final exams.
Students also make presentations in small groups, and each member of the group must produce a short written piece for that presentation. Students also write many informal responses in class. In some cases, students engage in peer evaluation of their writing before submitting it to the professor. One of the purposes of the writing in this course is for students to analyze the theory and research presented in the readings in light of their field experiences. Students make two-part weekly journal entries that consist of a description of their observations in the schools and analysis of that observation based on focus questions derived from topics in the course materials.