As stated on the class Discussion page, postings are graded for both form (editing) and content, and they are not simple opinion pieces. Postings are the equivalent to in-class essays in a face-to-face class, so they must show your understanding of the reading, your ability to apply the situations to actual experiences described in precise detail, the depth of your thinking and creativity developing an essay about the topic. A typical posting should be 350+ words long and, when appropriate, incorporate documented quotations from the readings.
Likewise, simple "I agree" or high-five ("Good job") responses will earn no points. Responses need to demonstrate your ability to add examples and ideas to the discussion. Ideally, they will introduce new ways of looking at the topic that will allow others to pick up on your examples and expand on their own discussions. A typical response will be 200+ words.
Also remember (and this is true of all discussions and essays for this class) your are not summarizing what you read, and you are not just giving unsupported opinions; you are trying to show that you understand what you have read. When possible, you must quote and document examples from the readings, and you should be able to apply the situations to actual, specific, detailed (not general) examples you have experienced or studied in the real world.
that's just too much stuff
EXTRA-SPECIAL NOTE: This assignment requires you to actually move your body somewhere and use your eyes. If you are not away from your computer and looking directly at some space; you are not doing this correctly.Dscuss one of the following (but don't forget the first part, the introduction):
Both articles on "Too Much Stuff" have different ideas about what generates the impulse to acquire "stuff." One suggests there is the guilt attached to getting rid of things associated with personal memories. The other looks back to earlier times when it was a necessary survival mechanism which has continued even though it is not generally necessary (and, in fact, it often makes the quality of life worse, not better).
Look at one place in or around your home--your car's trunk, your junk drawer, your garage, your front yard, your bedroom closet, wherever--that is so crammed with unnecessary "stuff" that, for some reason, you just can't part with. Looking very closely, list exactly what all that stuff is (include type, name, brand, color, size, condition--anything that will make that visible to the reader. Make sure it is excessive (try for about 350-500 words of very specific things) so that your reader will shout, "Enough! That is just too much." Open or close your list with a sentence or two explaining why you just can't seem to let all of that stuff go (is it sentimentality? guilt? hoarding instinct? laziness? something else?); maybe you are just a committed "collector" (I can relate; I collect things too :)
NOTE: be as exact as you possibly can. To help, there is an example on the Discussion board.
"Several old sweaters" is just dull (and leaves no real impression). Try, instead, "Thirteen ugly Christmas sweaters, which I gathered over the years for an annual ugly Christmas sweater competition, include my 2015 winner--red, green, purple, and pink lightning bolts zapping Santa on top of a roof; the lightning hits him right in the plumber's crack as he is vanishing, head first, down the chimney."
"Stacks of my favorite books" is blah (and leaves no real impression). Try, instead, "My Stephanie Meyers collection, including first editions of Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, alongside my Veronica Roth books: Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant, and Free Four.
If you are one of those rare people who cannot identify with either of the two articles, you surely know someone who is a touch of a hoarder. In that case, look at your dad's garage, your sister's make-up drawer, your family kitchen junk drawer, the trunk of your spouse's car. If that does not work, then go some place where you see an incredible amount of waste and describe it in exacting detail (yes, this is very much like the Annie Lamott assignment, though in this case you will likely be showing overwhelming over-consumption and waste.
SPECIAL NOTES ABOUT REPLIES THIS WEEK: some of you may have already looked ahead to Paper 1 (I hope so, at least), and seen that part of the first project involves repurposing some of this stuff that accumulates around the house. So a really helpful kind of response would be for you to look at someone's list of stuff and describe how one or more of the items could be repurposed; give concrete, specific details. If it is something you have actually done, include a picture as well. If it is not an original idea, you could include a link to the site where you found the information (or if you saw it on HGTV or DIY, then just say so :)
Other ways to respond are by
giving different detailed, concrete (actual/real) examples that relate to what the person expressed in the post
expanding on an idea (with documented quotations from one or more of the readings) in the post
introducing a related idea (maybe with a link to a source); for example, if you see a post on humongous amounts of make-up in a drawer, they you might introduce the idea that this need for different products for different occasions is something that has been promoted by make-up producer (link to an advertisement)
THE BOTTOM LINE: none of this should just be unsupported opinion; it should all show you are thinking and even learning new ideas about the subject.