Rubrics
| Assessment | Percentage of Final Grade |
| Three Reflection Posts (CUNY Commons) | 30 (each is worth 10 pts) |
| Group Annotations (Perusall) | 30 |
| Quizzes (Perusall) | 40 (each is with 10 pts) |
All assignments are due by 6/27/2025
Three Reflection Posts
Reflection posts are spaces for you to ask real questions. What intrigues you, disturbs, brings you joy, angers, or otherwise moves you? What do more people need to know about? How can you use writing to make the world a better place?
Each reflection post should be at least 300 words and more than 950 words. You need to reply to at least two other people with a thoughtful comment to receive full credit. 100 words is a good benchmark for your replies.
While this assignment is called a reflection post, you are not limited to writing only reflection posts. In fact, you are encouraged to be creative with genres.
Click below for examples of the kinds of writing you can post:
- A critical reflection post
- An op-ed
- An annotated bibliography
- An advocacy letter
- A persuasive post on a social issue
- A profile of a writer, activist, or community leader
- A creative short story in response an issue raised in class
Whatever genre you choose, the work needs to be original and created exclusively for this class. Works that are found to have been submitted to other classes will receive an automatic zero. Works that are suspected of being mostly AI-generated will be docked. You should pick a subject that you are passionate about; ideally, you will reflect and examine the videos, readings, or discussions you’ve had in this class.
Keep in mind that your work will be read by your peers. Your work will be public and made accessible to the larger Lehman community. While this can be nerve-wracking, it is crucial to gain experience in public-facing communications. Take the time to produce something that challenges you and that you would want others to read.
Graders of these posts will be asking themselves the following questions:
| Are there fewer than three spelling or grammatical errors? |
| Does the post stay within the limit of 300 and 950 words? |
| Does the post add something original or surprising to the conversation? |
| Does the post explicitly reference at least one source from this course? |
| Does the author respond to at least two other students with a comment of 100 words or more? |
Group Annotations
30% of your grade is based on group annotations through Perusall, a social learning platform where everyone can add their thoughts (annotate) a source. In this class, we’ll be reading and annotating parts of Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit. Each unit also has a topical reading about one of the key social issues we will examine this semester: technology, migration, employment, and public health. Check the syllabus to know which Solnit chapters you need to add annotations to (you are welcome to annotate other chapters, too!).
If you are asking what you could possibly add to the source, here is a list of potential annotations:
- Clarifying Questions
- “What does the author mean by this phrase?”
- “Can someone explain this concept in simpler terms?”
- Personal Connections
- “This reminds me of something we read earlier in the semester…”
- “This relates to my own experience with…”
- Text-to-Text Connections
- “This idea connects with what [another author] said about…”
- “Compare this to the argument in last week’s reading.”
- Definitions and Context
- Define unfamiliar terms or provide historical or cultural context.
- Link to external sources (e.g., dictionary, encyclopedia, article).
- Highlighting Key Ideas
- Mark a central argument or takeaway.
- “This feels like the thesis of the piece.”
- Agree/Disagree with Explanation
- “I agree with this point because…”
- “I’m not sure I agree — this overlooks…”
- Discussion Starters
- “If this is true, what do you think the implications are?”
- “How would this apply in today’s world?”
- Visual or Multimedia Connections
- Link to relevant images, videos, or artworks.
- “This painting captures the emotion described here.”
- Summary or Paraphrase
- Restate a complex idea in your own words to clarify for others.
- Reactions and Emotions
- “This paragraph really moved me because…”(use emojis or toner marks sparingly)
- Citations or Outside Sources
- Link or reference academic sources that support or complicate the author’s ideas.
- Counterarguments
- “What would someone with the opposite viewpoint say?”
- “Is there a flaw in the logic here?”
- Connections to Class Themes or Goals
- “This connects to our course objective about power and identity.”
- Tagging and Replying to Peers
- Build on someone else’s comment.
- “@Jordan I liked your point—do you think this also applies to…?”
In general, you should add two comments of your own to the source and respond to at least one other person in each reading.
Providing feedback to peers
Good feedback, especially in social learning platforms like Perusall, is clear, constructive, and engages directly with the ideas presented in the text or by your peers. Instead of simply agreeing or disagreeing, effective feedback explains why — pointing to specific passages, concepts, or interpretations and offering thoughtful reasoning. The best feedback builds on a peer’s idea or challenges it respectfully by asking questions, offering a different perspective, or adding relevant context. It’s not about having the “right” answer but about helping each other think more deeply. When you respond in a way that encourages more discussion, you’re supporting a collaborative learning environment.
In Perusall, quality feedback also considers tone and clarity. Comments that are too vague (“This is good”) or too harsh (“This makes no sense”) don’t add much to the conversation and can even shut it down. Instead, aim for specific praise (“I liked how you connected this to the idea of surveillance capitalism”) and targeted suggestions (“You could expand on how this relates to the author’s point about identity”). And don’t be afraid to ask questions – curiosity shows engagement and can spark deeper learning for everyone. Good feedback shows you’re not just reading to complete an assignment – you’re reading to understand, connect, and grow together.
Assessment of group annotations
Perusall automatically assigns scores to student comments based on dozens of factors. Here are the major factors in grade determination:
- Exceeds Expectations (High Quality): Demonstrates deep understanding, connects multiple concepts, provides thoughtful analysis, and poses insightful questions.
- Meets Expectations (Medium Quality): Shows comprehension of the material but may lack depth or critical engagement.
- Below Expectations (Low Quality): Lacks substantive content, critical thinking, or clear connection to the material
To earn “High Quality” marks, focus more on quality rather than quantity.
Click here for more examples of Low to High Quality grades on Perusall
Quizzes
Through Perusall, students complete a 20-question quiz at the end of each unit. Each quiz is worth 10 points (10%) of the final grade. While quizzes can be taken at any point in the semester, there are no make-up opportunities. All quizzes must be complete by 6/27/2025.
The quiz is comprehensive and sequential. For example, Unit 1 will have multiple-choice and writing prompts based on everything we covered in that unit: making a class biography, signing up for NYT and WSJ, Rebecca Solnit, BLUF, Safiya Umoja Noble, etc. Unit 2 will focus on the topic of migration and may include some questions that relate to Unit 1.
