Reflection on Syllabus, Reaction Paper Example

I have gone through the details of the three assignments and wonder whether these are information, argumentative, and persuasive essays or something different. As far as the writing center is concerned, the sessions at the writing center will be optional or compulsory for each assignment? I do note in the syllabus that going to the writing center will help me get extra credit but extra credit seems to denote that attending the writing center will be an option that will of course benefit me in the form of extra credit and not a compulsory requirement. Moreover, we can use any format for the paper such as MLA, APA etc. or the course has a preference for a specific writing format?

I agree with the instructor that assignments should be submitted at the beginning of the class but at the same time I think there do come extreme cases in which the student may not be able to attend the class or arrange for a friend to submit his/her paper. In such cases, assignment submissions through email could be allowed. In order to ensure fairness, the instructor could put the condition that the assignment must be sent through email by the beginning of the class. The university email system does show time so it can always be found out when the email was sent.

As far as the grading is concerned, if the student’s grade is just on the borderline and he/she has a good record of attending classes, completing assignments on time, and participating in class discussions, will all of these help in getting the grade a bit curved up? The syllabus does say that no laptops would be allowed but can an exception be made for note-taking because writing on laptops is faster and more convenient. I would like to know more about the ‘Groups Prepare for Conference’ on March 8 class session. In addition, will all the writing assignments be individual or there will be group assignments as well?

I do like the fact that attendance and participation has 10% grade because it gives an incentive to regularly attend the class. I am also impressed that the instructor has ensured she is accessible most of the time and through different channels such as office and email. One thing I am not sure about is whether appointment is always required to meet the instructor in the office or the student can drop anytime he/she needs a help.

I am also wondering whether online news articles can be substituted for magazines, newspapers, or brochures etc. because many publishers often have the same stories online, too. As far as groups are concerned, will everyone be part of the same group the whole semester or will groups continue to change? The instructor does advise avoiding topics one feels strongly about. Does that include politics as well or only more personal things such as religions? Overall, I am excited to be part of this course because I hope to become better at constructing logical arguments by the end of the semester.