Decide which essay question/passage you will be doing and explain why
which story you will be looking at and why (level 5 only)
make a note of three items of reading you will be using in your essay/commentary
what theories/methods you will be using/mentioning (level 5 only)
choose a scene you will discuss in detail: why is it important (level4: why is this passage important)
list three points you intend to make
make a note of what your main intended argument/thesis is about the story/passage, what interests you about it (in one sentence)
Group work — Evaluating Each others’ work
Evaluating others’ work is not just giving your wonderful advice and ideas for free — (anyway a good idea is only as good as its articulation) — you also learn about the process of work etc. by evaluating, giving feedback — it develops your own skills of thinking reflexively, being able to judge the standard of your own and others’ work, articulate criticism constructively.
Here are some suggested questions (in italics) you can put to your fellow group members:
Decide which essay question/passage you will be doing and why
which story you will be looking at and why (level 5 only)
To what extent do you think this question is likely to enable a good essay on this story? What made you choose the essay/story?
make a note of three items of reading you will be using in your essay/commentary
– Are these the required readings? Are you using all the further readings? If not on what basis did you exclude them (re required and further?)
– Are you using general sources on Russian history/politics, and are there any that might be relevant?
– Are you using general sources the Short Story, and are there any that might be relevant?
what theories/methods you will be using/mentioning (level 5 only)
— Are you using/name-checking any theories, theoretical approach? (eg gender, postmodernism)
choose a scene you will discuss in detail: why is it important (level 4: why is this passage important)
— why this scene, what does it bring to the essay?
three points you intend to make
— how do they relate to readings, theory, scene; how do they relate to each other? Rank in importance?
make a note of what your main intended argument/thesis is about the story/passage, what interests you about it (in one sentence)
— Is this point surprising, novel/self-evident? is there a counter argument? How does it relate to the readings, theory/method, points, scene choice?
