Q Thinking About the Readings. Over the past seven lessons, you've been reading short essays from the semester's common reads, This I Believe (Vol 1 and 2). Consider then the following prompt: Several of the essays discuss the role arts and letters play in discovering belief, such as Bela Fleck's thoughts on figuring out his own way to do things, Yo-Yo Ma's observations on exploring cultures and traditions, and Joan Tower's views on the power of music. Why do you think arts and letters can be such a powerful tool in determining beliefs? ________________________________________ Writing About the Readings. For your discussion, then, consider these questions (approx 250 words). Be sure to reference a specific essay from the selections we read in This I Believe this week (listed on this content page). You might use one of the essays to jump-start your discussion or you might come back to one of the essays as an example to illustrate your point. Your original thread should demonstrate development, organization, and style. • Development/PIES o Make a point about the reading, o Interpret or explain that point, o Provide an example from both the reading and a scholarly source for support (including both paraphrases and direct quotes from both sources), and o Explain the significance. • Organization o Brief introduction/thesis statement o Breaking up large chunks of texts/wall-of-words into paragraphs o Brief sentence bringing to a close • Style/Editing o Appropriate tone for college readers o Grammatically and mechanically correct If you're struggling to develop your discussion, you may find guidance on this page useful: Writing Toolkit: Developing Your Discussions. After you've completed your discussion, reply to at least 2 classmates' posts in fully developed paragraphs of at least 50 words considering our discussion on listening rhetoric. Rather than seeking to change someone's mind, seek out more information, clarification, elaboration. ________________________________________ Evaluating Your Writing. This assignment will be evaluated as a completion grade. The purpose of this assignment is to give you an opportunity to practice academic writing in a low-stakes environment.