COM 563
Prof. XXXX
Fall 2021
Reading Response Assignment
Students will be asked to produce 6 concise responses to our academic readings (not
chapters from Sport, Media, and Society).
These responses are designed for you to show your knowledge of, and engagement with,
assigned academic course readings. Since this is an opportunity to demonstrate that you
are completing the reading, you may bring in ideas from class discussion, but your focus
should be on the assigned academic readings and examples of your own choosing. These
responses are not intended to be summaries of the readings, but rather are an opportunity
for you to think critically about the assigned articles and to show your understanding of
both the theory highlighted and its application to everyday practices and media examples.
Again, don’t summarize the readings
While you should focus on the reading(s) for the week chosen, to receive a perfect score
you should make at least one robust connection with a previous reading, theory, and/or
idea from our class.
In addition to showing that you are staying current with the course readings, this
assignment should assist you in processing the readings, integrating this knowledge with
your own experiences, and synthesizing theoretical arguments for your research paper. It
will also help you prepare to actively participate in class by forcing you to organize your
thoughts on these issues.
These responses should FOCUS on the reading(s) and not personal experiences.
In each response you should:
1) Identify a theory or concept from the academic reading(s)
2) Describe what the theory or concept means in your own words.
3) Utilize at least one citation from the reading(s) to support your definition of the
term/concept.
4) Relate your concept/theory to a current media artifact, a social issue, another reading
from our course, or all three! Your connection should be specific and well-supported
and you should make sure to describe the connection in detailed language. This
should NOT be a summary but should bring new insight to the material. This should
also NOT be an analysis of the media screened in class.
Further Details
Your paper should be around 500 words in length and uploaded to Canvas before the
class meeting where the reading will be discussed. Late responses will not be accepted
for credit.
You must select an academic reading to focus your response on. You may NOT write
about a reading from Sport, Media, and Society.
You may write about one reading or a collection of readings – but don’t bite off more
than you can chew – this is about depth, not breadth.
You must write 6 responses over the course of the semester.
You must write at least three by Nov 1st
.
Helpful Hint: Try to knock some of these out early in the semester so you can focus on
other assignments as the semester progresses.
Your first two posts written prior to October 1st will receive a grade and feedback within
two weeks of your posting. After that your posts will receive only a numerical grade and
will be graded at random points throughout the semester. If you would like any additional
feedback or grade information as the semester progresses please reach out to Prof. Brody.
Remember, these are not the same as the screening responses so make sure these are
acutely focused on the theoretical dimensions of our readings/course.
All references must be in accordance with a consistent style (I suggest APA, MLA or
Chicago) and works cited should be included for any non-course material used.
Don’t forget to include page numbers in your citations and to be CLEAR as to when you
are quoting directly from an assigned reading and when you are summarizing an
argument.
Grades will be based on:
The clarity and organization of your thoughts, observations, and arguments
Your ability to properly proofread for spelling, grammar, and syntax issues
Your fulfillment of the prompt requirements
Your understanding of course material and concepts
Your depth of engagement with the selected reading
Your use of course material to support your writing
Your use of detailed and well-supported evidence along with specific analytical language
Your connection between the reading and a specific media example
Your connection between the reading and another reading from our course
Your ability to incorporate feedback from previous posts (when applicable)
Your success in spreading your responses out over the course of the semester.