The Assignment

Over the semester, you will write twelve Response Posts, each 200–300 words, due by midnight before the class day you select. I will allow you to upload the paper until 8:59 the same day for those of you who like to do homework in the morning. But do not try to let this become a bad habit. 😊

Each post must do one of two things:

1.       Make a contestable analytical claim, OR

2.       Pose a genuine interpretive question.

What This Means

A contestable analytical claim is a position a reasonable, well-informed classmate could disagree with. It is not a summary of the reading, not a restatement of what happened, and not a claim so obvious that no one would push back on it. It takes a stance and defends it with a short chain of reasoning or evidence.

A genuine interpretive question is one you do not already know the answer to. It opens up real interpretive tension in the material, rather than asking something with a lookup answer (for example, "What year was Potsdam?").

What Will NOT Count

•          A summary of the assigned reading or lecture

•          A purely factual/descriptive statement with no interpretive stake

•          A question with an obvious or easily looked-up answer

•          A post outside the 200–300 word range or submitted after the deadline

Grading

To make sure everyone knows exactly what to expect, here is how your Response Posts will be graded for the rest of the semester.

Each post will receive a score from 0 to 4, based on the following criteria:

Each post will receive one of the following grades:

- A (Exceeds expectations): a clear, well-reasoned claim a thoughtful classmate could genuinely disagree with, or a question that opens real interpretive tension.
- A- (Strong): a genuinely contestable claim or a real interpretive question, argued well, though slightly less sharp or less original than a top A post.
- B+ (Solid): clearly satisfies the assignment's criteria — either a contestable claim or interpretive question — with reasonably developed thinking, but doesn't quite reach the precision or originality of an A-range post.
- B (Meets expectations): satisfies the basic criteria, but the reasoning is fairly thin, or the framing is fairly familiar/expected rather than genuinely fresh.
- B- (Meets expectations, weaker): the claim or question is technically contestable/interpretive, but only marginally so, or the supporting reasoning is underdeveloped.
- C (Below expectations): an attempt is visible, but the claim is too obvious to be genuinely contestable, or the question has an easy, lookup answer; engagement with the text is present but not real interpretive work.
- Not accepted (no credit): the post is a summary, a purely factual statement, falls outside the 200–300 word range, or is submitted after the deadline.

A few important points:

1. The criteria for 0 points are hard requirements, not matters of degree. There is no partial credit for being late or outside the word count, and no extensions will be granted, since the post is meant to prepare you for that specific class session and I might use them in class..
2. A contestable claim and an interpretive question are equally valid choices. Neither is preferred over the other, and your grade will not depend on which type you choose.
3. Only your 12 highest-scored posts will count toward your final grade. You are welcome to submit on more than 12 class days if you like. Any additional posts simply give you a safety margin, since weaker or missed posts will automatically be dropped in favor of your best work. However, you do need at least 12 scored submissions over the semester for all 12 slots to be filled with a real grade rather than a 0, so please don't leave it too late to build up a comfortable margin.
4. Only you can see your own posts; classmates cannot view them. From time to time, I may reference strong examples in class to illustrate what a 4-point post looks like.
5. You will receive a short comment along with your score so you know specifically what worked or what to adjust next time.

Best,

Joachim Wintzer