Reading Response is based off the book: Robert, Dana L. Christian Mission: How Christianity Became a World Religion. Oxford: John Wiley & Sons, 2009.
Purpose: Throughout this course, you will be assigned readings to complete before the next class. The purpose of these response assignments is to assess
your comprehension of the reading material you were assigned, your ability to analyze the author’s position, and your ability to use that analysis to form your
own position. In addition, the practice of submitting these assignments throughout the semester is intended to strengthen and hone your skills of critical
thinking, curiosity, argumentation, communication, and empathizing with perspectives other than your own.
Assignment: Respond to the assigned reading (note: if multiple readings assigned for one class period, you need only respond to one of them). Your
response should be rooted in a concise, but deep, interpretation of the text. That is, present a moment in the text—one that you feel is of central importance—
in some amount of detail. What does the author say? What are their reasons for saying it? What evidence do they present? What are the real-world stakes of
their argument? Your interpretation of the text should set up your response, which should make up the second part of your assignment. Do you agree or
disagree with the author? What is your reasoning for agreeing or disagreeing? What has the author left unsaid or unaccounted?
The first part of these assignments should show that you understand the author’s argument. The second part of these assignments should be your response
to what the author has said. To that end, your paper will need to refer to moments in the text and cite them in a consistent manner (Chicago, MLA, etc).
Utilizing sources beyond of the assigned reading is not necessary for the successful completion of this assignment, but if you do use/refer to other sources,
you will need to cite them as well.
Medium: Written paper, recording of original music/song composition, video or video series (TikTok, etc)/vlog/video essay, original dance choreography, or
another format, with professor’s prior approval. (Note: if submitting assignment in a medium other than written paper, you should be prepared to provide or
include a brief explainer for the submission).
Length: 1-2 pages, double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, 1” margins. (Note: this is the prescribed length for a written paper. If you plan on
submitting this assignment in a different medium, use that length as a guide for the size of your submission and format your assignment in a way that’s
appropriate for that medium).
Due Date: Before before class starts at 11:00am EDT, on the class period after the reading is assigned and submitted via Canvas as a Word document. (Note:
If you plan on submitting this assignment in a medium other than written paper, upload the file in an appropriate format for the submission to Google Drive,
paste the link to a Word document, and submit that as your assignment).
Percentage of Final Grade: 10% (cumulative of every response paper)
Grading Method: These assignments are being graded in two parts: Your interpretation/analysis of the author’s argument and your response to it. Show me
that you understand
Total points: 100
Content: 90 pts total
Interpretation and Analysis: 45 pts
Student offers a deep, thoughtful, and robust analysis and interpretation of the text, faithfully representing the author’s position: 45 pts
Student offers a surface-level interpretation of the text without thoughtful analysis: 20 pts
Student only states what the text says, without providing any analysis: 10 pts
Response: 45 pts
Student offers a thoughtful and robust response to the author’s position, reflecting on their lived experiences: 45 pts
Student offers a response to the author’s position with minimal development: 20 pts
Student only states whether they agree or disagree with the author, with no further development: 10 pts
Format: 10 pts total
Length: 5 pts total
Submission is the prescribed length (+/- one-quarter of a page): 5 pts
Submission is over or under the prescribed length between one-quarter of a page and three-quarters of a page: 2 pts
Submission is over or under the prescribed length by three-quarters of a page or more: 0 pts
Formatting: 5 pts total
Submission adheres to format instructions: 5 pts
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