The Triumph of the Right, and the Recent Past

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Secondary Source Discussion Board Guidelines
Each Unit includes a discussion board focused on the secondary sources.
• Discussion boards posts are a place to share your thoughts and interpretations of the
secondary sources, which hopefully offered some context for the primary sources. Post
about the connections you make between the sources and broader topics each unit.
• The assignment consists of one initial discussion board post, and at least two comments
on other student’s posts. The “post once, comment twice” formula can be frustrating, but
we need to have some parameters for our interaction, however imperfect. Also, CSCC
requires discussion boards in online classes.
• Boards are place where everyone should feel welcome and valued. We can disagree and
raise questions with respect and thoughtfulness. Any hostile, disrespectful, or
inappropriate comments are unacceptable.
• Please let me know if anything about the boards makes you uncomfortable so we can
address it as soon as possible. No one should be devalued or attacked on the boards.
Please let me know if you do so we can find a solution.
The Primary Source Essay Questions focus on the primary sources. The Discussion
Board posts focus on the secondary sources. Definitely discuss the primary
sources, but repeating the same information from the essay responses doesn’t fulfill
the requirements of the assignment. Consider whether the secondary sources offered
context for the primary sources? How so? Did you get the same thing out of a source
as other students? Why or why not?
• Discussion board Post due at 11:59pm on c, along with the other Unit work.
The discussion board post should be at least 500 words, and include meaningful
discussion of the topics and sources from the unit (secondary sources in particular).
You can focus on one particular issue that stood out to you, or consider the broader
context and historical narrative of the readings. How did the secondary sources relate
to the primary sources?
Posts should include at least one meaningful question related to the material under
discussion. Something more than, “I wonder why people supported the Populists?”
Your questions work as prompts for your fellow students, and their questions work
the same for you. Did they offer context for the primary sources? How so? Did you
get the same thing out of a source as other students? Why or why not? If one of the
sources sent you down a rabbit hole looking for more information about one thing or
another, tell me about it (keep track of where you are getting your information from).
I will post specific questions about the primary sources, but you need to bring in the
secondary sources on your own.
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• I really can’t emphasize this enough: posts need to include specific information from
the secondary sources, including longer sources like video lectures. I am interested in
your thoughts about all the sources, but your thoughts have to be specific.
Part of the point of the discussion board is to demonstrate that you
read/watched/listened to the assigned sources. Generic comments that do not indicate
that you actually spent some time with the source will not be worth many points.
Having said that, this assignment is not a scavenger hunt. You don’t need to find
some obscure point from deep in the lecture or podcast to prove you “did the work.”
Also, I know about the trick where you fast forward to the middle of the video, pull
out a random point, and drop it into your post. That isn’t quite it, either. If I wanted
you to mindlessly go through the secondary sources, I would give you a multiplechoice quiz after the video. Instead, your post should be your own thoughts and
insight about the material. It just also has to be specific: What’s important about that
particular point? How does it relate to the rest of your post and discussion?
• Comments on two other posts are due by 11:59pm the following Tuesday night.
Respond, engage, question, comment, etc. on other at least two other posts. The goal
is interaction, discussion, debate, support, reassurance, and general interest in other
people’s work. Everyone should have at least one question in their original post – can
you help answer it in your comments? Or expand on it? Or raise another issue? Feel
free to comment on comments, or start a separate thread if a topic outgrows the
comments section.
Guidelines and Netiquette
Discussion Board assignments ask you to discuss, reflect, contemplate, and analyze sources we
read as part of the unit work. The discussion boards are not the same as the primary source
questions, although you might use some of the same information. Unlike the primary source
responses, the discussion boards are not formal writing. In fact, the whole point of the discussion
board is to share your thoughts about the sources (primary and secondary) and the topics and
issues under discussion.
Posts should be in essay format. The questions posed in the prompts are not discreet questions to
be answered separately. The questions give some direction on how to approach answering the
questions, but they are not a list of questions like the primary source questions. Speaking of
which, posts should not simply restate the information from the responses, or summarize the
textbook. Repeating the same example, point, or conclusion across posts is not useful and does
not demonstrate that you read and understood the secondary sources.
No formula exists for the posts There is no set list of questions to answer, the posts are where
you offer your own analysis of the sources – primarily the secondary – and share those
thoughts with the class. A formula, i.e., you need this many quotes, you need this many words,
you must address X, negates the whole purpose of the discussion boards. Still, your post needs to
be substantial.
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• Initial posts should be at least 500 words, comments should be at least 150 words.
• Make certain that all posts and responses address the question, problem, or situation as
presented for discussion. This does not mean you should not extend the topic, but do not
stray from the topic. Be sure to discuss the secondary sources in some detail in your
post.
• Discussions occur when there is dialogue; therefore, you need to build upon the posts and
responses of other students to create discussion threads. Make sure to revisit the
discussion forum and respond (if necessary) to what other students have posted to your
initial responses.
• Posts and responses should be thorough and thoughtful. Just posting an “I agree” or
“Good ideas” will not be considered adequate. Support statements with examples,
experiences, or references.
• When relevant, add to the discussion by including prior knowledge, personal and work
experiences, resources, etc. (giving credit when appropriate).
• Read existing follow-up postings and avoid repeating what has already been said.
• Use appropriate language. Use textspeak (text/DM jargon) sparingly. Same with emojis.
Its not that LOL or a smiley-face emoji is inherently bad, but use them sparingly. We are
discussing complicated and serious topics, so be thoughtful about your language and text.
• Inappropriate and/or offensive language, especially comments that might be construed as
racist or sexist, are not appropriate and will be dealt with on an individual basis. This
includes using appropriate language for race, gender, and other descriptors. Separate
guidelines are found in the Class Information folder.
• Even if you disagree or differ with an opinion expressed online, do so using appropriate
language and do not, under any circumstance, get personal. Positive and critical feedback
is good – but criticizing for the sake of it using negative and/or abusive language will not
be tolerated.
• Discussion boards are not a formal debate where one person bests another with shifts in
logic. No need to prove someone wrong. If you think a post has mis/disinformation or
inappropriate content, please let me know. Don’t feel obligated to correct other people’s
work. Let me know if you think something doesn’t belong on the board and I will address
it.
• Keep in mind that ages vary greatly in an online class. We have under-aged teenagers in
class, along with older people returning to school after a long absence.
• Be careful with humor and sarcasm. One person’s humorous comment can be another
person’s offensive or degrading remark.
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• Do not use all caps in an online environment. Using all caps is considered SHOUTING.
• Your posts may appear clear to you, but not so to the reader who is not in front of you at
the time of reading. One way to avoid misinterpretation is to read out your post loudly to
make sure it conveys the correct meaning before posting.
• Remember that there are other human beings reading your postings, so treat everyone
with respect. Don’t post anything you wouldn’t be willing to communicate face to face.