Reading Journal Audit

The reading journal “audit” is a chance for you to revisit your reading journal entries and notice what you notice when you write about literature, and a chance to reflect upon the trends and preoccupations of your own writing.

Your audit will include four components: a (1) descriptive, (2) analytical , and (3) reflective account of what you find in your reading journal (these three components should total about 3-4 pages) and (4) several excerpts from your journal, with added comments. In composing and putting together your audit, make sure you address the kinds of questions listed under each heading below:

1. Description. The purpose of the description is to walk your readers through what your reading journal looks like. That means your description should answer questions such as the following: How many entries have you written? How do you organize the entries or set them apart from each other? What is their average length? How many are long or short or in between? How many texts have you written about?
2. Analysis. In this section of your report you should discuss the content of your entries, answering such questions as the following: What do you usually write about in your reading journal? Are there broad themes or specific concerns that reoccur in your writing? What elements of the texts do you tend to comment on, or what is it that you tend to talk about in your commentaries on the texts? How have your reading journal entries changed (if they have) over the the course of the semester? What changes do you notice in length, topics, language, and so on? What might account for these changes? What else do you notice about your reading journal? Refer to specific entries as examples. Feel free to quote briefly from your entries as needed.
3. Reflection. Think about what your log entries amount to. Do you find any worthwhile writing in your log? What surprised you as you reread your work? What ideas or threads in your posts do you see as worth revisiting? What else do you notice? What aspects of the weekly journal do you value most, and how does it show up in your entries?
4. Excerpts. Select three excerpts from your reading journal. These excerpts are not full entries; each excerpt might only be a paragraph taken from a longer entry. These three excerpts need not be your “best” work, but rather they represent three really interesting moments in your journal. For each excerpt include the date of the original entry and then explain what makes them interesting to you. Maybe because it’s an example of a terrific insight you make, or maybe it’s because you totally get something wrong. Or maybe it’s because rereading the entry your disagree with your former self. There are countless ways an entry might be interesting. Explore these ways.

The reading journal audit is due Tuesday, November 6 via Blackboard. Upload your work as a PDF if possible. The reading journal audit is worth 20% of your final grade for ENGH 442.