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Readings are assigned most weeks, which you are expected to have read and thought about according to the class schedule. This allows us to spend our class meetings discussing and applying those texts rather than merely review their contents. Hence, you must do more than merely peruse the readings: you must endeavor to understand what they are trying to convey.

The social annotation activities on Perusall will help you work with your classmates in order to better understand what the readings are trying to convey.

Required readings come from the materials posted in the class schedule, which are covered according to that schedule. Some weeks may also have optional materials. These help enrich, or otherwise supplement, the required readings. I may allude to optional material during our class meetings, but I will not punish you for not reading them.

I should also emphasize that this material is not like reading a novel or a textbook. There will be times when you must read slowly and carefully. You may have to stop and think about things; and you should be prepared to go back and reread important sections. I also suggest that you take notes while you read, so that you can remember the text’s main points. Finally, feel free to bring any questions you may have about the reading to class.