Symbolic Systems 209 - Battles Over Bits (Davies, Autumn 2007-2008)
Some Tips on Writing Blog Comments in Symbsys 209
[This version: October 23, 2007]
The written work required of students in this seminar consists entirely
of weekly comments on the course blog. Blog comments are due at 6 pm
prior to the 7:15 class period each Tuesday, to give just enough time
for your fellow students and I to read your comment, and for you to
read theirs. The following are some tips on writing blog comments
which are more likely to get high marks.These guidelines may be added
to or amended later.
1. There are many ways to write an effective comment.
I am reluctant to define what constitutes an ideal comment for
this reason. There is no one way to do it. A good blog comment might
be, for example:
- A claim that an author of that week's reading has made
inconsistent arguments, showing what the inconsistency is and why it is
inconsistent;
- An elaboration of a point made by an author, especially in a case
where the original argument lacks sufficient illustration, data, or
examples;
- A diagram or outline of a complex argument, or any other way of
summarizing what is otherwise hard to follow;
- An argument against an author's claim;
- An alternative argument in favor of an author's claim or a way of
recasting it;
- A proposed solution to a puzzle, e.g., asking why an author has
made a claim, or has approached a problem in a certain way, with an
answer
that cites other things the author says in order to tie together loose
ends or to complete an argument;
- A question that arises from the text, even if you have no
solution to it, but with a clear explanation for why the question
arises, why it is hard to answer, and how we would know if we had an
answer;
- Generalizing different points that are made by an author,
explaining what the more general principle is, and citing the
individual points made by the author as examples.
The above is not an exhaustive list.
2. The purpose of a blog comment is
not to grade the author of the target text, or say whether you liked it
or not.
Evaluating the quality of a text is not easy, especially when
you are a student reading a well-regarded piece of writing. This
is not to say that you should avoid making your own evaluations, but
pure statements of evaluation, such as "I found this irritating" or "I
really liked this chapter" are not that useful in blog comments. If you
are going to evaluate something, you should give reasons that take the
form of arguments, and evidence them clearly with quotes or references
to the text in question.
3. The purpose of blog comments is to
help everyone, including you, to think more deeply about the text.
A good blog comment should be a good springboard for discussion,
which is one reason why comments are due suffiently ahead of the class
starting time so that they can be read, at least by the instructor,
before the discussion happens. Part of this involves direct
engagement with the text, e.g. citing specific quotes and referring to
page numbers.
4. Your comment should show evidence
of having read the assignment.
Indeed one of the purposes of making blog comments due before
class is to get everyone to do the reading before the discussion.
Your comment need not summarize everything in the assignment for a
given week, but it should not be so absent of direct references to the
text that it could have been written without reading the
assignment.
5. Be wary of the "obvious" point that
the author misses.
Assuming the reading that is assigned is highly regarded, it is
unlikely that a point that casual readers would think of easily has
escaped the notice of the author. A famous psychologist once
responded to a series of questions about his study after a lecture by
saying, "Look, we've been working on this for years, have heard
hundreds of arguments, and run lots of variations. Anything that you
can think of in two minutes is not likely to be a fresh insight."
While this may have been a harsh response, it expressed what a lot of
serious researchers feel when readers or audience members show a lack
of regard for their intelligence.
6. If you are commenting on a piece of
text embedded within a larger whole, such as a chapter of a book, and
have not read the whole, consider the possibility that the point or
question you are thinking of is addressed in what you have not yet read
before criticizing the author for not including it.
It is reasonable to mention or comment upon what seems to be
missing, but again, not in a way that assumes the author is unaware of
it. You can say, "I will be looking for an answer to this question in
the coming chapters," or "Perhaps this is dealt with elsewhere, but...".
7. Do not make claims without backing
them up with evidence of your own, either from the text or from outside.
This is part of the mark of a serious comment. Hold yourself to
the same standard that you would hold the author. Citing a hyperlink is
permitted, as are direct quotes and references to the target or other
texts.
8. Avoid ad hominem or impressionistic
remarks about the author or their writing.
Again, this is a serious academic exercise. Calling
an author a socialist, Bush-lover, or aging hippie would not be
permitted in an academic paper, and shouldn't appear in your blog
comment. Likewise, you should avoid statements like "this is a
diatribe..." or "it seems like he just loves...". These are your
impressions. You can channel them into useful comments by making claims
that are supported by direct references to the text, or summaries
thereof.
9. Remember that you are writing for
others who have read the same thing you have, in most cases.
Among other things, this means you don't need to rehash things that
would be clear to anyone who has read the text. As you read, you
might notice that some parts are harder to understand than others. This
is a clue that you might have value to add by paying more attention
than the average reader would, perhaps going back and reading previous
sections to better understand the one in question, and that you can
then share your effort in your comment. Another consequence of
writing for others who have read the same thing is that, obviously, you
can't get away with making false claims about what the author says.
Make sure what you say is accurate, and cite evidence as needed.
10. It is okay to share a personal
bias or perspective, but this should help people understand your point,
rather than being the point you want to make.
A simpler way to say this would be, "The blog comment is not all
about you." At the same time, it can help us to understand where you
are coming from if you are open about your background and personal
reaction. This should then lead into a point that can be argued
on the basis of more objective evidence from the text or elsewhere.
11. It is okay to refer to another
blog comment, or to something other than the reading, but this
shouldn't be the only thing you refer to.
Blog comments are about the week's reading, first and foremost.
Sometimes an interesting exchange will occur between students in a
comment thread, or someone may have already made a point that you want
to make, and you can and should refer to it before elaborating or
adding your own twist.
12. Be careful about posing questions
like, "I wonder what everyone thinks about Y...".
You can pose questions, including ones calling for responses from the
class, but you should make your own position clear and argue for it, or
if you are genuinely puzzled, give us as good an understanding for why
you are puzzled as possible.
13. It is better to make one point
well than to make multiple points less well.
As my criteria for scoring comments are insightfulness, clarity, and
thoroughness, it is hard to achieve these for more than one
point. Making two or more points unthoroughly or unclearly does
not equate to making one thoroughly and clearly. While it is true
that you may increase your chances of hitting on a point I would regard
as insightful if you make multiple points, I tend to score based on
average insight across points rather than the maximum among them.
14. As with discussions, remember that
each week is a learning experience.
Don't be afraid to make mistakes. The scoring of blog comments is
inherently subjective, which is one reason why I have devolved some of
the basis for it onto self and peer scores. If you run
afoul of the above guidelines, don't feel bad about yourself. Just
chalk it up to experience and try to do better the next time.