Journal Task Rubric (3 points total)
| Points | What this looks like |
| 3 – Strong (Complete & Thoughtful) | It is clear you have considered all questions/components listed * note this need not be put in separate numbered sections; it’s fine if the above information is referred to in the reflection itself (below)In a couple hundred words (+/- 50). You demonstrate a thoughtful, unique approach to your journal entry Your writing is clear, organized, and easy to follow. |
| 2 – Satisfactory (Adequate) | You answer most of the task (as described above), but one part may be less detailed. Your reflection shows some thought but is general or underdeveloped. Writing is mostly clear but could be more organized. |
| 1 – Needs Work (Limited) | You only answer part of the task, or your response is very short and lacks detail. You don’t clearly show an understanding of the project, or you give very little reflection about your focus. Your writing may be unclear or disorganized. |
| 0 – No Credit | You don’t submit the task, or your response does not relate to the assignment. |
Initially drafted using ChatGPT (Original Prompt: “I need a rubric for this task. It is worth 3 points [journal task description]” Subsequently asked for language to be student facing.
I ask that you do this, and all other journal tasks without the assistance of generative AI except for final editing.
Write approximately 300-500 words.
Reflect on the discourse community for your own project. You should already have a sense of the perspective and focus of your project, as it was developed in the proposal.
Now, it’s time to refine this and make it more concrete. This will help you set goals for your in-depth research.
Based on your initial research and thinking about your project, ask yourself the following questions. These are adapted from Christian Pulver’s graphic “Mapping the Discourse of a Problem or Controversy” in your reading. Refer to the reading for more detail as needed.
- What problem are you investigating? How is this problem discussed within the perspective (or discourse community) that you’re working within? What assumptions are made? Are there key words that are often used?
- Who are the key figures in this conversation you are engaging? Are they obvious key people or organizations? Or are there key sides or positions in a debate around your problem?
- Why is this a problem? What are the informing needs or urgent consequences? (This is exigence again… as you work on your topic, try to develop this in more detail than you had before).
- How is the problem you’re focused on discussed in the research and public debate? What kind of language is used? What kinds of rhetorical appeals are used (where does the evidence come from? what emotions are evoked?) What assumptions are made about how things are or how they could be?
- How have you positioned your Project in relationship to this problem and discourse community? Will your policy brief focus on illuminating and substantiating a significant problem or challenge, or will it assume shared knowledge of the challenges, and emphasize research into specific solutions?
As you begin to plan and extend your research in the next section, continue to ask these questions to make sure you’re on track to finish your research and build your paper.
Submit in Moodle. Due Thursday, October 16.
 JOURNAL TASK 2I ask that you do this, and all other journal tasks without the assistance of generative AI except for final editing. Defining Focus and Perspective for the Project For this Journal task, you reflect on not only a refined scope for your proposed project, but also how you will articulate the rationale, audience, and value of your project in the proposal. Remember, the purpose of a proposal is to persuade the audience of the value and credibility of the proposed project. The purpose is not to do the project itself; that comes later! Aim for about 500 words. Your response, however, can be point form and does not have to be polished. The questions are progressive – designed to help you develop the content and motivation needed for your proposal. The more work you do here, the more material you will have for your proposal assignment. Answer the following questions: Part A: Restate your proposed focus and scope for the project. Re-articulate the general topic you want to do for your course project – what specific issue around the social conversation of flexible work will you engage? Define the exigency for your project – what issue/challenge or situation demands a response right now? What specific problem are you intending to address, or what problem have you identified that you think could be fixed through the development of change in policy? What are some of the existing conditions, causes, consequences related to the problem you are focused on? What will be the scope of your project? Who is impacted by this problem? Whose interests are you hoping to meet with your project? Who might be negatively impacted by the recommendations? Think about the larger community. Select a sector or perspective for your course project. In what ways do the current issues, changes, conditions or nature of the sector influence the problem and issues you are focused on? What kinds of opportunities and risks within the sector might have an impact on your specific project? Clearly articulate the lens your project will take. What position will you work from? Explain the lens or frame you will adopt for approaching the topic. Your answer here will be the group or interests you will represent, as well as explaining the particular nature of the lens – what things are priorities or the core interests, and what is at stake from this perspective?Discuss the Kairos for your project. What kinds of timelines or windows of opportunity are you taking advantage of or responding to within the larger community of concern over your issue or problem? Part B Prepare to Write the Proposal: As you prepare your Proposal, reflect on the following: What is the purpose of the Proposal Document? How is this different from the Purpose of the Project itself that you are proposing (The Policy Brief and Communication Plan)? Who is the audience for your Proposal? Explain the difference between the audience for the Proposal and the audience for the rest of the project? What are the different motivations for these two audiences? How will you achieve logos in your proposal? How will you achieve pathos in the proposal? How will you achieve ethos in the proposal? Your answers to these questions will help you develop the substance of your proposal assignment; writing about the current situation and the project plan and scope, in addition to how you will approach your persuasion, will help you to write a final persuasive Proposal that clearly demonstrates the value of your project. Submit in Moodle. Due Sunday, September 21. |
| JOURNAL TASK 1 I ask that you do this, and all other journal tasks without the assistance of generative AI except for final editing. The purpose of this Journal Task is to get you thinking about how you will approach the progressive project for this course. You will examine the Request for Proposals and begin thinking about your focus for the project. Part A: Decode the Request for Proposal (RFP) The RFP is how clients normally solicit requests for proposals to conduct research or complete other projects. Thus, the assignment for the Proposal is structured as an RFP. Go here to access the RFP document. Read it carefully to pull the following kinds of information: – Make a list of the specific pieces of information you must include in your proposal. What content must be included? – Make a list of specific instructions for the creation/layout of the Proposal document that you must remember to follow to ensure your document is complete and accurate. – Based on the RFP, what is the overall purpose of the project? What should your proposal try to achieve? Part B: Reflect and Focus Having read now both the Scenario Overview and the Request for Proposal Assignment, and now having some idea of what a policy brief is, you may be beginning to generate some ideas of how you’d like to approach this work. (This is the actual journal task) Write about 200 words, reflecting on what specific focus you might like to take for this project. You will have more time to refine your approach in Unit 1; these are just preliminary thoughts so you can get started. Here are some prompts to help you: – Spend time thinking about the different areas of scope and focus suggested in the RFP document and the scenario summary in this unit. Which kinds of questions and areas of interest appeal to you? Economic? Social? Health and Wellness? – What sectors of society are you interested in representing – Labour? Business? Families? Women? Young Workers? Shift workers? Local Cities? You can pick any interest group you like and explore this topic through their interests and priorities. You do not have to select a specific organization; just any defined group whose interests you’d like to represent and, finally, make recommendations for. Once you’ve thought about a specific sector of society, brainstorm some issues, problems or questions that this group might have, related to the topic of flexible work environments. – What are some opportunities, challenges, or needs that are faced from this perspective? For example, if you are interested in the health and wellness of shift workers, what kinds of questions or problems related to flexible work might you begin to explore? Submit in Moodle. Due Friday, September 12. |