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What are the Learning Goals of this Assignment? (Learning Outcomes)
Paraphrase/summarize a literary work from this module
Observe themes, literary devices, and literary techniques by conducting a close reading of the text
Contextualize the work based on information presented in the video lectures and/or other readings in the module
Curate textual and contextual observations to select at least four to analyze
Analyze observed literary and contextual components by explaining how they relate to the work’s central idea and why that relationship is significant
Develop an original arguable interpretation of the work based on the analysis
Support that interpretation with evidence from the text as elaborated in the analysis
Reflect on the engagement with the CRIT process and the limitations of one’s argument and analysis for different readers/audiences
Why Should I Do This Assignment? (Purpose and Relevance)
Successfully completing this assignment will build skills that will prepare you for future assignments and modules in this course, including:
Close Reading Interpretation & Analysis – Modules 7-9, Reading Journal 6, Final Exam, Creative Adaptation
Ethical Decision-Making – Modules 7-9, Reading Journal 6, Final Exam, Final Reflective Essay, Creative Adaptation
Metacognition and Critical Reflection – Modules 7-9, Reading Journal 6, Final Exam, Final Reflective Essay, Creative Adaptation
In addition, successfully completing this assignment will cultivate the following habits of mind related to the learning objectives of the course:
Prioritization – Critical and Creative Thinking; Personal Responsibility
Problem-Solving – Critical and Creative Thinking
Written Articulation of Original Ideas – Communication
Knowledge-Making through Observation, Inference, Drawing Connections, and Analysis – Critical and Creative Thinking
Finally, in addition to the midterm CRIT serving as a foundation deepening critical and creative thinking on future modules and assignments, many students find that the text they analyze in the midterm often becomes their favorite text of the course because they have learned it intimately and it begins to inspire questions and curiosity for them in ways that the shallower engagements with readings from the earlier modules may preclude.
What’s the Big Picture Context for this Assignment? (Overview)
For the midterm CRIT, you will move through the Close Reading Interpretive Tool steps we have been using throughout the term in order to perform a close reading of a text of your choosing from the list below.
Write your responses to each step of the Close Reading Interpretive Tool (CRIT) process for your selected text.
Step 1: Paraphrase
Read the passage carefully. In your own words, give a summary of the factual content of the passage—what the text directly states—as it proceeds from beginning to end. What situation is being described here and by whom? What happens in that situation? Respond to this prompt in no more than three complete sentences.
Step 2: Observe
Read the passage again, this time thinking about what it seeks to accomplish. Then, identify and list any potentially significant features of the passage’s form—that is, those textual elements that contribute to the passage’s overall meaning, purpose, or effect. Your list of observations should include specific examples of various kinds of textual elements, such as: descriptive details; word choice; repetition of phrases, sounds, or ideas; imagery or figurative language; syntactical structure; changes in vocabulary, rhythm, or tone; characteristics of the narrative voice or perspective; or other narrative elements. Note that these observations will have to provide the building blocks for your analysis in Step 4. Respond to this prompt with a list of formal features.
Step 3: Contextualize
Think about contexts for the passage. (Contexts are facts or broader circumstances external to a literary work that are important to its production, reception, or understanding; for instance: literary, biographical, political, or historical information.) From your own knowledge of any relevant contextual facts or circumstances, or from the “Additional Information” provided with the text (if available), identify and list any potentially significant contexts for the passage—that is, those contextual frames that contribute to the passage’s overall meaning, purpose, or effect. Note that these contextualizations may provide additional building blocks for your analysis in Step 4. Respond to this prompt with a list of contexts.
Step 4: Analyze
Review the features and contexts that you identified in Steps 2 and 3 as making potentially significant contributions to the passage’s meaning, purpose or effect. Then, select at least four of these textual elements and/or contextual frames and explain how each is in fact significant. These analyses should state clearly and forcefully what each item contributes to your understanding of the passage. Note that these analyses will have to be connected in Step 5, where you will argue for a unified interpretation of the passage as a whole. Respond to this prompt in one to two sentences per feature or context. Each analysis should include the phrase: “ . . . is significant because . . .” In this step, you may also refer back to your hypothesis, as this is the “testing” or “experimentation” stage of your reading. When considering the significance of particular formal elements, for example, consider how each relates to the themes you identified in Step 1.5.
Step 5: Argue
Re-read the work you have produced thus far. Using your observations and analyses in the preceding steps, write one paragraph (at least five sentences) that conveys your interpretation of the passage. State the main thesis of your interpretation—that is, the central claim you are arguing for—and then support that thesis by presenting the evidence you gathered in Steps 1 through 4. Note that your paragraph should integrate and build upon your responses to the Step 4 prompt; your observations and analyses should also add up to an interpretive conclusion about the passage as a whole. Remember that your final argument (analytical thesis) may build upon, revise, or completely disavow your original hypothesis.
Step 6: Reflect
Now that you have advanced an argument, re-read the passage again. Then, answer the following questions: What aspects of the passage do you still find confusing? What elements of the passage does your interpretation neglect or set aside (consider themes not addressed in your reading, for example)? What parts of your argument now appear to you debatable or dubious—that is, what objections could a reasonable person raise to your interpretation of the passage? Keep in mind: no interpretation is perfect or can account for every element of a text. Nonetheless, if these reflections have led you to think that your interpretation is less than compelling, you are free to revise your CRIT exercise.
Please select only one text from this module to analyze, referring to the same text for each step of the CRIT process. Each step is accompanied by detailed instructions as to what is expected. Please remember to stick closely to the text alone as it is presented (with or without accompanying contextual information). There is no need to conduct outside research for the midterm. Instead, contextual observations should come from lecture videos and course texts that provide context to the reading.
What Do I Need to Do For This Assignment? (Details and Requirements)
Select one text from this module (listed below) to perform your midterm close reading. Note the identified contextual period in parentheses next to each text; please use these to refer back to the appropriate lecture videos, notes, and assigned texts in order to provide contextual observations:
Charles Chesnutt, “Po’ Sandy” (Realism/Regionalism)
Kate Chopin, “Desiree’s Baby” (Realism/Regionalism)
William Dean Howells, “Editha” (Realism/Regionalism)
Booker T. Washington, “Atlanta Exposition Address” (Social Construction of Race)
W.E.B. DuBois, “Of Our Spiritual Striving” (Social Construction of Race)
Successful completion of the midterm is defined by earning a minimum of 8 out of 12 points.
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