Online Class Journal Guidelines:

As one of your recurring assignments for this class, you will post writing journal entries to the class’s weblog (http://english120d.blogspot.com/). Also, I will post copies of all class assignments and materials on this site, and certain assignments over the course of the semester will be turned in via the class weblog.

In today’s class, you will need to provide me with an email address. Later today, I will send an invitation to your email address asking you to become a member of the class site. Follow the instructions in the email and on Blogger to join the site. Your user name should be your first name and first letter of your last name followed by 120D (if another member of the class has already created the same user name, then use your first name and the first two letters of your last name).

Before the next class, join the class weblog and read the online copy of the class syllabus (http://english120d.blogspot.com/2004/08/english-120d-class-syllabus.html). At the end of the syllabus, click on the Post a Comment link and indicate that you have read and understand everything outlined in the syllabus. If you have any questions about the syllabus feel free to ask them here.

I hope that this class site will not only serve as a static virtual space for assignments and journal entries, but also as a discussion forum for the class. However, while posting to the site will be open exclusively to the participants in this class, the content posted will be publicly available on the internet. Anyone who happens to find the site will be able to read what you have written here. As a result, there are certain guidelines, which you will be required to follow:

1. Do not post any personal information on the site: This includes email addresses, phone numbers, IM names, social security numbers, and grades.
2. Do not post off topic: This site is about writing. Your journal entries should also be about writing and the issues we discuss in class. These journal entries should not be confused with any sort of personal diary or journal.
3. Although framing an effective argument is part of this class, do not be argumentative in discussion: None of your posts should contain personal attacks or hateful language.
4. Do not curse in your posts: Very rarely is cursing an effective means of engaging and persuading an audience.

Keep in mind that I will be monitoring all of your posts and comments. You will not receive credit for any post that breaks these guidelines. Any comment or post that breaks these guidelines will be deleted.

For your writing journal, you must make 25 posts over the course of the semester with at least one post per week and no more than 3 posts per week (with the option to not post for any two weeks). Each post should deal with writing, rhetoric, composition, and the various issues we discuss in class. They should be well written, free from grammatical errors, a minimum of 100 words in length, and no more than 600 words. Each entry will receive a mark of satisfactory or unsatisfactory.