Love Life and the World ASSIGNMENT
In this two-page, double-spaced reflective journal, you will do a reflective analysis that covers three goals, to:
1. Improve writing skills.
2. Apply the General Education “Lifelong Learning and Self-Development: GE Category E” skill of “Reflection – that reviews prior learning (past experiences inside and outside of the classroom) in depth to reveal significantly changed perspectives about educational and life experiences, which provide foundation for expanded knowledge, growth, and maturity over time.”
3. Complete a practical social-ethical project in the field as participant observers, in which project they develop the ability to apply general knowledge to an understanding of specific actions in the world, and, conversely, the ability to abstract from the specifics of action in the world to the theoretical. –Participant observation is the practice of learning from a culture through taking part in its activities and making conclusions about the culture based upon that experience.
Your assignment is to experience nature by utilizing two-spirit Indigenous teachings to structure and analyze your future nature experiences. Pick an instance in the coming weeks in which you will experience and observe the natural world around you. Let a class reading lead you to newly experience nature. Answer the following prompt:
Putting senses or metaphors/similes in every line and sentence, vividly describe a brand-new experience of nature on page one; then on page two both compare and contrast your ethnic religious/philosophical understanding of that same nature experience with insights gained from a class Native American reading.
Love Life and the World ESSAY 2
On page one, write a creative story about a new experience in vivid detailed writing full of senses, similes or
metaphors. Note on the grading rubric below that every sentence and line must have senses or metaphors to get the
full 2.5 points for that category. Do not “introduce” or “conclude” the page one prose with boring analysis or
summary. On the second page, relate your experience of nature story with both a comparative and a contrasting
analysis of your religious/philosophical understanding of that nature experience with that of any one American
Indian nature writings from class. Be sure to name the tribe of the author and name your ethnic religion/philosophy
as well. For example, you might Agree with laFavor’s idea of Mother Earth but not with her idea of eating spirits.
Create one paragraph for a comparison and a separate paragraph for the contrast and quote the same author in each
paragraph. Please keep the following in mind as you construct your essay:
- Organization (2.5 points): The first page is a pure creative writing sharing of your nature experience. The second is a scholarly religious studies analysis of that experience. You’ll only need topic sentences on the second page for the two paragraphs, one to compares and one that contrasts ethnic nature beliefs.
- Content (2.5 points): emphasize five senses, metaphors, and similes on page one. Both compare and contrast your cultural identity and religious/philosophical nature beliefs with that offered in a class reading on page two. Be sure to mention your ethnic and religious/philosophical identity on page two.
- Citations (2.5 points): You must use two “short quotes” with page references (p.1, 2, etc.) from Driskill et al. or another Native American class text on page two. For full credit, quote exact words; don’t just paraphrase. List the work cited in a bibliography on the page two. No cover sheet is necessary. No separate bibliography page is needed. Put everything on two pages as much as you can.
- Grammar and Style (2.5 points): Correct grammar, an evolved personal voice, lots of sensory details, and variety in sentence structure and subject will improve your overall writing style.
Love Life and the World ESSAY 2 Grading Rubric for 240 Essay 2
2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 Page One Content
Every sentence contains senses, similes or metaphors expressing a recent personal experience in nature
¾ of the sentences contain senses, similes or metaphors expressing a personal recent experience in nature
Only 1/2 the sentences contain senses, similes or metaphors expressing a personal experience in nature.
Only a 1/4 of the sentences contain senses, similes or metaphors that express a nature experience.
The prose lacks senses, similes or metaphors expressing an experience in nature.
Page Two Content
Clear comparison and contrast paragraphs of personal nature experience and American Indian nature experience. ; Really integrates p. 1 story and religion
Good comparison and contrast paragraphs of personal nature experience and American Indian nature experience; good integration of p. 1 story and religion
Underdeveloped or missing comparison & contrast paragraphs of personal nature experience and American Indian nature spirituality; OK story & religion link
Underdeveloped & missing comparison and contrast of personal nature experience and American Indian nature spirits. No p.1 story/religion
Neither comparison nor contrast given of personal nature experience and Native nature spirituality; avoids page 1 story and religion.
Page Two Evidence: Quote and CItations
Includes two relevant quotes with “words in quotations,” a page number for Native American class text, explains quote’s nature content; Cites source in bibliography
Includes two good Native quotes with “words in quotations” and pages; mostly explains quote’s meaning and relation to self; Cites source w/bibliography.
One of the Native quotes is missing, or the “words in quotations” neither relevant nor explained, lacks pages or bibliography.
One Native quote is missing and the other irrelevant; quotes are paraphrased and not explained. Quotes off topic. Citations not given.
No Native quotes are given. Quotes only come from outside class readings. They don’t reference the paper topic.
Personal Expression
Clear grammar, varied sentence structure, sophisticated composition, with “I” educational/cultural appropriate voice, colorful poetic story.
Only few grammar mistakes, reads easily, but wording a little plain, generic, or repetitious. Personality is evident.
No flow. Several grammatical errors such as incomplete and run-on sentences. Difficult to read. No personal “I” voice.
Fairly poor grammar. Many errors. Editing needed. Lack of personal voice. Wording hinders content.
Poor grammar. Consistent errors. No editing evident. Lack of personal voice. Content masked by wording.