Welcome to Sp. ’17!

We will use Medium for our weekly critical reflections. Each of you will create your own page where you will post the weekly writing that explores the assigned reading in connection with your community experience.

Join Medium: Very easy! You can sign in through your facebook or google account. Once you have joined Medium, send us your username so we can add you as a writer to our publication. You will write your reflection on your Medium page and submit to the course publication.

Each week, we will post a prompt to help you think about ways to explore the text and connect to your community experience and larger class themes. When you are done with your critical reflection on your page, publish it and then go to the “. . .” on the top or bottom right of your page and submit to The “The Other” publication.

At the end of the semester, you will have all of your critical reflections in one place and be able to review, choose relevant pieces and shape into your final paper. To start your own page, join Medium (there are a few ways to do this. I did it through my google account). Then “start writing”.

Please give every critical reflection a title that reflects the essence of what you want to say or are questioning or were surprised by or. . .

What is Critical Reflection?: “Critical reflection is the process of analyzing, reconsidering, and questioning one’s experiences within a broad context of issues and content knowledge” (Jacoby, Service-Learning Essentials, 2014). In this colloquium, you will be building critical reflection skills. Below is a general overview of the framing, the prompts will vary each week:
What? What is the central point of the text? (Use quotes to support your interpretation.) How is this relevant to class themes and your experience at your community partner site?
So What? Why is this significant? Do these ideas help you to see or think differently, shift or expand your perspective? How does this point or concept connect with your community experience? Use textual evidence to support your observation/connection and a specific illustration/story from your community partner experience.
Now What? Does this concept or information shift your perception, challenge what you thought you knew, inform your next steps in any way? Do you see your role at your community partner site differently?

Be sure to include direct quotes (with page numbers cited) from the assigned reading. Be careful that quotes are not taken out of context and that your reflection encompasses an exploration or understanding of the central themes in the week’s reading and when possible and prompted connects with your community experience.