Activity Showcase: Taking, Posting, and Responding to Class Minutes (Contributed by Prudence Layne)

The Class Minutes serve several functions:

1. the creation of a discussion board forum for us to continue stimulating conversation generated in class
2. a reminder for everyone of the daily class events
3. an opportunity for absentees to respond to the discussion issues of the day
4. a chance for me to see what the class learned (sometimes the message gets lost in the translation). The Minutes give me a chance to respond to and clarify items.
5. a “built-in” participation credit for you

TAKING MINUTES:

When it is your turn to take Minutes, treat the duty as if you were taking notes for a friend who missed class. This does not mean you need to record every detail. Record the significant items, such as instructor announcements, syllabus changes, colleague news, and engaging topics, statements, and questions that emerge from class discussions.

At the end of taking minutes, you should reflect on the day’s activities within the larger context of the class. For example, you might address the question of how the day’s activities and discussions help to clarify or complicate some of the issues we are discussing in the course.

POSTING MINUTES:

Compose your minutes in Microsoft word and send them to me at playne@elon.edu as an attachment only before noon on the day after class. I will check the minutes for clarity and accuracy before posting them to the Blackboard site. Minutes received in a timely manner will be posted before the next class meeting. Late and improperly formatted minutes not following the above guidelines are penalized.

ACCESSING MINUTES:

Go to the “course documents” section of the site. In the class minutes folder, look for the dated thread to access the course minutes. Any student may respond to the minute taker’s reflections, and may pose questions and comments to that person as they wish.

Instructor’s SAMPLE Class Minutes

Name of Minute Taker

Course Number and Section

Date Minutes Taken

IN CLASS WORK SUMMARY:

The instructor began class with an introduction to the text, its organization, guiding principles, goals, and philosophies. Although we ran out of time, we will continue the discussion along that same vein during the coming week. However, a copy of the lecture/text summary may be downloaded from the lecture notes folder on Blackboard (BB) under the “course documents” section.  The class began to address the issue of feminism. Using the text’s general and very broad definition of the term, students talked about some of the issues women faced in both personal and broader terms. One of the goals of this semester is for each student to derive his/her own definition based on individual cultural and social contexts. What became clear from the discussions was that we all hold varied and diverse beliefs about women’s roles in local and global communities. The challenge, therefore, seems to be finding common ground and ways of working together for women’s liberation and fighting against the various oppressions women face.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS:

–          Only the feminist reader anthology is required for the class. If there are any other texts in the bookstore under our class section, please do not purchase them. If you have already bought them, please return immediately.

–          A list of persons taking class minutes and dates of presentations will be made available via the course website after the last day to add/drop.

–          Students are expected to bring their textbooks to each class meeting.

HOMEWORK FOR MONDAY:

On Monday, each student is to bring one or two items to class that she believes speak to the oppression and/liberation in her own life as a woman or in the lives of women they know. The item may consist of an article of clothing such as a bra or corset, a piece of legislation, an article from a newspaper or magazine, or a photograph. There is no limit on what you can bring. Simply, be prepared to discuss your selection in class and the way you see it operating in the world of women.

REFLECTIONS:

Before the class, several female students admitted that they never felt “oppressed” because of gender. The male students questioned whether it was possible for men to operate or live from a feminist viewpoint. Given the nature of the readings and the diverse viewpoints initially expressed, it is highly unlikely that we will be able to reach a consensus as a class about whether feminism is relevant, or if we can find a single, homogenous way of approaching the challenges that confront us. Please feel free to share your own thoughts and comments about anything I have said.