Seven or eight times in the semester I'll assign a very informal homework writing assignment that will ask you to kick around some ideas about the reading assignment and the issues/critical problem currently under discussion. These assignments must be uploaded to Moodle. They'll be graded on a C/NC basis. These are not formal essays in any sense, but rather more in the spirit of a problem set--a place where you think on paper. Don't worry about being "right" or "wrong"; all you need to do is read the assigned text(s) and tackle the questions posed thoughtfully and honestly. These assignments should encourage you to stay up to date on the readings and to give them some degree of thought so that you come to class ready for conversation. The assignment is also a way of rewarding those students who are businesslike in their academic work (especially those students who tend to freeze on major assignments).

Here are some general guidelines, for those who like such things:

• I can’t imagine anyone remotely doing justice to the questions I’ll pose in fewer than 400 words or so (roughly the equivalent of one double-spaced typed page).
• Because life is short and art is long, you should say what you have to say in no more than 700 - 800 words (roughly the equivalent of two double-spaced typed pages). In other words, pointless rambling will not impress me. (You certainly won't lose credit because of excessive length, but I reserve the right to stop reading after 800 words!) 
• You should address the question(s) posed, please. If you have other observations to make about the assigned text, I’ll invite you to share them during class discussion.
• As an English major, you should express yourself in complete grammatical sentences, and even, God help us, in paragraphs--not bulleted lists, disconnected fragments, etc. I'm not concerned about following MLA format here, however.
• Your assignment should be uploaded as a .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .pdf. I likely won't be able to open other file formats. Use the "save as" function to save your file in the appropriate format.
• In some cases, you may exhaust your 800 words without managing to address every single question in the assignment; that’s just fine. Depth of thought can substitute for breadth.

Under no circumstances will I accept informal assignments late. Moodle will cease to accept them ten minutes into class time. Don't print them out and leave them in my mailbox or slip them under my office door; don't email them to me. This is true even if you must miss a class when an assignment is due; this is true even for illness. As you all know by now, life is unfair.  

Moodle can be temperamental; it's best not to wait until the last minute to upload your work. I won't have much sympathy if you email me ten minutes before class to whine that Moodle wouldn't work. If you contact me the evening before, however, I just may accept that attached file.

This policy means a little planning ahead is in order. Anticipate snafus. Poor planning on your part does not constitute a crisis on mine.

The overall grade for these assignments will be based strictly on the number you submit (and that earn credit, of course): if you miss one or zero assignments, you'll receive an "A"; if you miss only two you'll earn a "B"; if you miss three you'll earn a "C"; miss 4 and you'll earn a "D." You'll receive no credit if you miss more than four.

If you're still unsure what these should look like, I've uploaded an example. This mock informal writing assignment was written in response to the questions posed about the "What Is Literature?" quiz administered on the first day of class.