LITT 14310G

Memoir: Life in Story

Journal 4 Assignment (15%) - See SLATE or course outline for due date.
Journal 4 asks you to respond to one question. One considers the Migration & Diaspora section, and the other
asks you to consider the consider the Disabilities & Illness unit. Write a 500-750 word response to the two parts
of the question on page two of this document.
***You will also post a comment, or respond to a comment, on the readings to the Discussion board on
SLATE.*** The comments will be between 100-200 words. See the next page, STEP 3, for instructions for
posting.

Please read through the instructions before beginning.

General Instructions: Write an APA-style paper (approximately 500-750 words in length) in response to one
question listed on page 2). Throughout your response, include Quotations from the memoirs and the content
covered in either Week 8 or Week 9 of our course:

 Include a brief introduction (3-4 sentences) that ends with a direct answer to the question—your thesis
(argument)
 Include 2-3 short paragraphs to support your answer to the question
 Include a brief conclusion paragraph (3-4 sentences) at the end that reviews the arguments in your paper
 Include words from the question in your thesis statement (the last sentence of your introduction
paragraph) to ensure that you are directly answering the question;
 Include specific examples—that is, quotations—from the reading content in your responses;
 Cite all of your examples using APA (every sentence with an idea that is not your own must have
the author’s name and year of publication included, as well as the page/ paragraph number);
 Add 2-3 sentences after every example to explain why your example supports/answers the questions (this
is how you demonstrate critical thinking, provide deeper analysis and ultimately earn the stronger grades);
 Include an APA Reference page at the end of your assignment that provides more than just a URL (see
APA Guide for what to include or ask at the Library)
 Format using APA standards
 Write in Word, using double space.
 Length of discussion on SLATE: 100-200 words.
o See SLATE CommunicationsDiscussions Scroll to Bottom of the page. You will see
o Start a thread, writing about 100-200 words. Students can respond to this thread, again meeting
the 100-200 word limit. Try to create dialogues with one another.
The assignment will be graded using the rubric (marking guide) posted on SLATE.

The key element to successful critical writing at this level is to be building connections between the ideas we
explore in the course, the readings that we cover, and your own insights/ideas/reflections on the topic. I
really would like to hear/ read what YOU think about the material and the readings.
 LITT 14310G
Memoir: Life in Story

Journal 4 Assignment Questions:

STEP 1: Read (as per Weeks 8 and 9) the texts regarding Migration & Diaspora and Disabilities & Illness.
STEP 2: Respond to ONE of the questions below, analyzing the memoirs listed above.
***Remember that you need to include quotations from the text/ evidence that you have read the text in question.
The journal cannot respond generally to the question, but must engage with the texts themselves.

QUESTION 1: Week 8 considered texts by Gary Engkent and Carol Geddes. What are the cultural,
social, political, and historical contexts of these memoirs? Consider BOTH of the authors in your
response. You may read the headnotes included in the text (the headnotes are the short, biographical
pieces included before the memoirs/ memoir excerpts), and cite short quotations from them if you wish
(using APA). What are some of the rhetorical strategies the authors employ to emphasize to their readers
the discussion of migration and diaspora? Again, use specific quotations from the texts themselves to
demonstrate your points.

OR

QUESTION 2: Week 9 considered texts by Joan Didion, Nancy Mairs, and Terry Tempest Williams.
What are the cultural, social, political, and historical contexts of these memoirs? Feel free to read the
headnotes included in your textbook (the headnotes are the short, biographical pieces included before the
memoirs/ memoir excerpts), and incorporate them (cite them properly in APA) cite short quotations from
them if you wish. Why do these authors insist on specific terms in their works? What are some other
rhetorical strategies the authors employ to persuade readers about the urgency of their experience? Again,
use specific quotations from the texts themselves to demonstrate your points.

STEP 3: Post a comment, or respond to a comment, on the readings to the Discussion board on
SLATE. These comments—whether starting a thread or responding to one—will be between 100-200 words.
Remember that this is a part of the assignment, and you are receiving marks for this as well.
 GO TO SLATE CommunicationDiscussions