Welcome!

Hello Team, and welcome to "Animals and Us" the online component of our class.  

As noted on the syllabus, 36 hours prior to class, a previously assigned student will read the assigned reading and post a thoughtful blog post meant to spur discussion, not only on the subject itself, but also the rhetorical strategies at work in the assigned piece.  In this way, each student will take responsibility for leading online discussion.  This student should also feel welcome to respond to posts, etc.

Blog posts cannot be made up and cannot be turned in late.  In fact, they should serve as an easy way to boost your grade.  Expect one to be due at the start of class each night we have an assigned themed reading.

The most successful blog posts will also form a bridge or connection between your own life and the reading.  Please do not view reader responses as “busy work.”  In fact, they are critical to your ability to master the material and engage in thoughtful, rhetorical conversation in a new space.  It is also an opportunity for you to continue honing your summary and rhetorical skills that will prove vital to your success in this class.  Spelling and grammatical errors are unacceptable.  Obviously, this is a safe space; one in which we must respect one another's opinions.

Good luck!  I'll be monitoring this from the sidelines.

-Hollars