A dialectical journal is a conversation between you and what you are reading or watching. It is an important means to develop a better understanding of the issues we discuss, read and see in class. It is the place where you will incorporate the ideas we discuss in class, your own ideas about the material we read, view and hear, and your personal response to those texts and visuals. It will be invaluable to you when you prepare for papers, class discussions and long-term projects and papers. Dialectical means “the art or practice of arriving at the truth by using conversation involving question and answer.
” This is what you must do in your “journal”. Write down your thoughts, questions, insights and ideas while you read and after you view a film or participate in discussion. Your journals will be separate documents (they may be typed or hand-written), for each journal you are to separate the page into two columns. In the left column write down the facts, quotations, issues and/or ideas discussed in the reading, film or presentation (include specific details, quotations, or excerpts). In the right column identify YOUR thoughts, questions, insights and connections to the material (see example).
DO NOT simply rephrase the statements on the left! Name You MUST have at least 5 paraphrases/quotations to which you will respond. You may include more… In addition, you are to write a paragraph summary of the article, film, reading, etc. The paragraph is the opportunity to paraphrase the document or film, not to include your thoughts or insight – this is a simple retelling of the document or film. Grading Rubric A (9-10 points)Detailed, meaningful issues identified Thoughtful interpretation Insightful personal connections made Thought-provoking questions asked
Coverage of issues is complete and thorough B (8 points)less detailed, but good issues identified Come intelligent commentary Address some personal connections Asks pertinent questions Adequately addresses the issues C (7 points)Few good details are identified Commentary is vague Lacks serious in-depth discussion Limited personal connection Asks few questions Addresses some of the issues present, not very thorough D/F (5-6 points)Hardly any details of the issues Little discussion Very little personal commentary on the issues No questions asked.
Limited personal connections Europe at ‘polio risk’ from Syria http://www. bbc. co. uk/news/health-24854920 SUMMARY: Europe could be at risk from polio following a recent outbreak in Syria. Excerpt/Quotations Thoughts/Questions Two doctors in Germany say the cases in Syria, which had been free of wild poliovirus since 1999, could endanger nearby regions. Because only one in 200 people infected develops paralysis it could take a year of “silent transmission” before an outbreak is detected. In that time hundreds of individuals could be carrying the infection.
Most European countries use inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) rather than the live oral polio vaccine (OPV). This can lead to cases of acute flaccid paralysis, the main symptom of polio. How are these two vaccines different and why does one cause acute flaccid paralysis, when the other one doesn’t? While IPV is highly effective at preventing polio disease, it does not give the same level of protection against the virus as the oral drops, so vaccination coverage needs to be very high. Countries with low coverage such as Austria (83%) and Ukraine (74%) are more at risk of an outbreak.
Polio vaccine coverage in the UK is at 95%. The doctors said Israel could also pose a potential polio threat. Wild poliovirus has also been found in sewage in Israel. Although there have been no cases of polio in Israel, tourists could risk bringing the infection to other countries. Most of the 22 cases of polio-like paralysis in Syria (10 of which have been confirmed as wild poliovirus type) are among children below the age of two. Why is it mostly 2 year olds who are infected with the disease? How can we help prevent the outbreak, and create a more effective way a vaccinating people?