Sample Journals
I have included a few sample Journals below to give an idea of what this assignment might look like in action.
I have provided some detailed instructions for each model but a basic way of understanding the difference between Option 1 and Option 2 is the following:
Option 1 consists of a series of entries that emphasizes analysis, interpretation, and commentary.
Option 2 consists of two different types of writings. The Note-Taking sections should summarize the material being learned. The My Thoughts sections should emphasize analysis, interpretation, and commentary.
My own philosophy of education calls upon students to be active participants in the shaping of their own curriculum. As a result, for this assignment, as for others, there is no one fixed model for the solid Journal. You need self-awareness in regards to how you learn and how best this assignment might work for you rather than merely asking what I want. I am very open to discussions with you as to what approach might work best for you. You will need to take yourself seriously as a student and to hold yourself to a high standard to learn much from this assignment.
If you choose Option 1, you certainly can include some summarizing. You should consistently be asking yourself, however, how you can actively engage with the material and offer your own analysis.
Here are the samples:
Option 1, Sample 1: This is an excellent Type 1 Journal from my LIB 131 Eastern Religions course. You can make different choices in regards to how personalized your Journal is. This student has opted for a distinctive, highly personalized approach. But that has been combined with a careful attention to detail and the development of coherent analysis. Note, for example, how the Bhagavad Gita entry (pp. 6-8) combines a discussion of large themes with a rigorous attention to the text.
Option 1, Sample 2: This is an A+ Journal from my HIS 216 Modern European History course. The student has decided to adopt a more formalized style with footnotes and a bibliography. But, as with the Option 1, Sample 1 Journal, the assignment represents a sustained conversation between the student and the course material. She has spent countless hours with the engaged with the curriculum; has drawn from her own experience; and then has successfully framed what she is learning in a larger context. You need not use footnotes and should not be at all self-conscious if you are not yet ready to write at the level of the entries in this Journal (critical reading and writing are developed rather than innate skills), but this Sample Journal may still provide your with some ideas for your own work.
Option 2, Sample 1: This is an example of a solid Combo approach from my LIB 210 Indian Civilization course. The assignment for LIB 210 was not as major an assignment as the HIS 215 Journal. But this student followed through with some good note-taking and some brief reflections on what she was learning. The student wrote her Notes by hand. I think this is fully appropriate for an Option 2 Journal if you prefer that to typing.
Option 2, Sample 2: This is a high A level assignment from my LIB 131 Eastern Religions course. The student offers extensive notes on a wide variety of materials and then uses those notes to write well-developed commentaries upon the curriculum. Although there is a clear distinction between his Notes and his Thoughts, he is very actively engaged while taking notes. He is condensing, paraphrasing, and processing what he is reading and watching rather than merely participating in a modified form of cutting-and-pasting. He is assembling information but also thinking about its meaning as he takes notes.
Option 2, Sample 3 -- First Half Journal and Second Half Journal: This is a superb Journal from my LIB 210 Indian Civilization course. I include both halves of the Journal to show how this student developed their Journal as the semester progressed. The First Half Journal was solid, with very condensed and effective notes, and with brief but engaged commentary in the My Thoughts section. This student pushed much further with his commentary and analysis in the second half of the semester. The quality of the work was significantly stronger in the second half of the semester, moving from a strong B level to an A level. If you do choose Option 2, try to speak in your own voice in the My Thoughts sections and to fully develop your ideas here.
An Example Of Some Active Note-Taking: This sample does not fit neatly into an Option 1 or Option 2 format since I've only introduced that assignment structure within the last year, but I include it here as an example of how it is possible to be very engaged with the material while taking notes. This student excelled in HIS 122 and the sample here is but one part of the work he completed in the course. Note-taking can be a higher-level thinking exercise.