[This online discussion board is no longer active. Below are sample responses from selected days.]

Online Response Schedule:

Monday: Natalie, Kate, Sandra, Lauren
Wednesday: Meghan, Emily, Robin, Patrick, Justin
Friday: Matt, Jeff, John and Kristen

For a response to count, it must be posted by 10:00 p.m. the evening before the relevant readings are due. Your response need not be long (roughly 200 words) but it should include several the following elements:

1. A question (or questions). Write down questions you found yourself asking of the text as you read, and comment on wy you think they are worth asking.

2. A thread. Record the thematic, figurative, or stylistic patterns you observe running through this text (and others we have read).

3. A thesis. Make an assertion based on the treads you observed or other insights you had in reading the text.

4. A passage. Find a particular moment in the text that puzzled or intrigued you and reflect on on why you think it's important.

You also are required to read your classmates' entries before class so we all have some inkling what others are thinking about before we dive into discussion. If you feel inspired by one of the postings, you should feel free to respond to someone else's entry for that day. You can also list books or websites that you have found, along with some comments on why they are of interest to the rest of the class.

If for some reason you cannot access this page, e-mail me your response and I will post it to the discussion board later. You may want to write your response in Word and then paste it into the message field so you don't lose your work if something goes wrong.

Monday, January 29: Mary Rowlandson

Friday, February 23: Nathaniel Hawthorne

Monday, April 9: Uncle Tom's Cabin articles

Wednesday, April 18: Rebecca Harding Davis