Facilitating Discussion of the Readings (15% total)

You will be responsible for facilitation on 2 days this quarter. The instructor will assign the days.

This as an individual assignment in which you do all the following requirements on your own.

Students are welcome to meet with the instructor for any additional guidance on expectations for this assignment.

Due date: All components are due the evening before the class you facilitate, by 8:00pm.

Facilitation Schedule

Requirements:

Each student will be assigned TWO (2) class days to help facilitate the discussion of the readings. Each day is worth 7.5 points total. If you need to change to a different day let me know as soon as you can. You will find your assigned days in Canvas.

Complete all these components:

1. Reading Notes on the Fiction text (1.5 points):

For the FICTION text assigned for that day (section of the novel or the film), you will answer all of the following questions about the text. Your answers should be in bullet-point form and should be 2-3 singled spaced pages total. The instructor will post these notes for the whole class to read.

1. Setting: In what place, time, and social circumstances does the action occur? How does the author establish the overall setting? Is any information withheld, and if so why?
2. Point of view and writing style: Is the narrator a character in the story (first-person point of view), or outside the story (third-person)? Is the narrative perspective omniscient or limited? Does the point of view change during the work? What did you find notable about the author’s manner of expression, in terms of sentence structure, word choice, use of dialog, or figurative language? What significant examples of literary devices such as metaphors or imagery did you notice?
3. Characters: What are some examples in the text that fit Schalk’s first rule for reading SF: reject good/bad binaries in representation?
4. Themes: A theme is a general concept, whether implicit or asserted, that a work of fiction incorporates and tries to make persuasive to the reader. Thematic concerns in fiction are usually expressed through a combination of elements including character, action, setting, images, allusions, symbols, etc. To state a major theme should require at least a full sentence. Identify 2 or 3 themes in the text that you think are most significant in light of Schalk's second and third rules for reading SF: "move beyond character analysis alone...read for the metaphoric and material meanings of (dis)ability" (p. 25) and read within the rules of the reality of the text.

2. Reading Notes on the assigned Non-fiction text (1.5 points):

For the NON-FICTION text that was assigned along with the novel or film on your facilitation day, you will prepare about 2 single-spaced pages of reading notes that summarize the main points and evidence in the text. Use bullet-point format. The instructor will post these notes for the whole class to read.

3. Prepare at total of three (3) discussion questions for the class activity that day (1.5 points):

These should be open-ended questions about the day's texts that will generate class discussion. At least one of your questions should draw out connecting themes between the 2 texts (synthesis question). Do not submit more than 3 questions total.

4. Be prepared to introduce the texts and to engage with classmates’ questions & ideas (1.5 points):

You will do this synchronously during class, or asynchronously if needed (see below). During class, the instructor will call on individuals who are facilitating to assist with introducing the texts. No PowerPoint or other formal presentation is required or expected. Each student must also be prepared to engage with classmates’ replies to the questions and with the ideas that get expressed and developed during the class discussion. Be ready to pose follow-up questions and comments. (2 points)

Asynchronous Facilitation, you will also do both of these to engage with peers:
- 1. Write summary paragraphs for each of the readings and post those in the Class Activity board by 8pm the day before class.
  - 2. Write at least three additional responses to peers in the Class Activity board by Sunday after class (this is in addition to doing the asynch participation). Try to reply to someone who hasn't been replied to yet, if applicable. In at least one of your "additional replies," write a follow up response to someone's who responded to an answer given by you or by another student. This will add layers of engagement to our conversation!

5. Write annotations the assigned non-fiction reading for the day – you will find the file to annotate in that week’s Module (1.5 points):

1. Write at least 4 annotations in which you comment and/or ask a question about a particular claim or sentence or small section of the non-fiction text you've been assigned. Also write at least 4 responses to peer annotations. Keep your comments brief so that everyone else can read them in a short amount of time.
2. Finish your annotations by 8pm the evening before you facilitate.

Documentation of sources and academic integrity:

All work submitted for course credit must be an original effort. For all writing assignments, direct quotations, paraphrases, information, interpretations, and opinions taken from another person’s work must be identified. Plagiarism means presenting the words or ideas of another person as if they were your own, for example by turning in someone else’s work or failing to document material you have quoted or borrowed. Any evidence of cheating or plagiarism, whether intentional or accidental, will result in a grade of zero for that assignment. Additional sanctions may also be imposed by the University administration under the provisions of the Student Conduct Code. You are responsible for understanding all aspects of University regulations regarding academic integrity.

Artificial Intelligence and Large Language Model Policy

Artificial intelligence (AI) text generators like ChatGPT are not a replacement for your own learning of the material, critical thinking, and writing skills. They are trained to reproduce sequences of words, not to understand or explain anything.

Students are always expected to participate in the active learning process, and the use of AI without additional effort from students is always prohibited (such as copy-pasting an AI-generated essay). Inappropriate use of AI is considered academic misconduct. If you use AI, you must identify the tool you used and describe how you used it, and how you evaluated, modified, and verified any AI-generated content or information. Failure to disclose AI use will be considered a violation of academic integrity standards.

For more information, the University of Washington’s academic misconduct policies are here: https://www.washington.edu/cssc/for-students/academic-misconduct/.Links to an external site.

Please be aware that AI tools carry inherent drawbacks. There is risk of biases and/or giving inaccurate or incomplete information. If used to proofread or edit your original writing, it may change your text so much that it no longer reflects your original thought or it may use terminology incorrectly. The text that AI text generators provide you is derived from another human’s original writing and likely multiple other humans’ original writing. As such, there are intellectual property and plagiarism considerations. Additionally, pay attention to the privacy of your data. Many AI tools will incorporate and use any content you share, so be careful not to unintentionally share copyrighted materials, original work, or personal information.

If you have any questions about citation or about what constitutes academic integrity in this course or at the University of Washington, please feel free to contact the instructors to discuss your concerns.