There should by now be four reports ready to read on the wiki sites. Each report should include a recommendation about what we ought to do with respect to the works reported on. What we need to do now is consider the reports, and at the same time begin the process of moving forward. You will probably remember that the last prompt said that you should "be prepared to tell us how to read it, and fill in problems you had or issues you think we should know about that you didn't fit in." We'll do a round to make sure everybody has a chance to say whatever she needs to to help prepare us to read the reports, and then we'll go off and read (and, of course, discuss) them.

I've created, for each report, a discussion forum. You should, for the three reports you didn't participate in, post a reflection on your reading in which you reflect on what it suggests about questions we should pursue, writers or directions we might work with, and clarifications or elaborations you'd like. This is not an evaluation of the report, it's an invitation to build on it. So don't spend time saying how good a report it is or how much you enjoyed reading it. Take that as given. Don't bother with the opposite, either; our aim now is to learn from, and help others learn from, the reports, not to help the authors make them better.

Read and respond thoughtfully to all three reports by tomorrow night at 6:00; after 6:00 read as many reponses as you can, especially those to your own report. Be prepared to engaged in a discussion on Wednesday of where we are now and what we need to investigate next.

Before class time Wednesday, send me an email in which you identify which of the reports you think most helpful, and be as specific as you can about why. If you absolutely have to (can't choose one most helpful one), do this for two reports. I will digest the comments and post them, anonymously, on the site (they will, as usual, have no consequences other than to help us all share what makes reports useful for us).

Self-assessment, feedback

Although I expected to respond to the self-assessment postings over the weekend, it didn't happen. I did, however, get the midterm feedback survey form up. I invite you to respond to it; I'll leave it open till Wednesday afternoon. (I don't like to leave them open for long, because spammers find them.)