Read the lecture then answer the Discussion post question as instructed. How to

Read the lecture then answer the Discussion post question as instructed.
How to do debates:
Each debate is available for you to actually link to the Debate Page prior to it even starting. Plan on participating multiple times throughout the period they’re open. If you wait until the “day of” to do all your replies, I’ll see that and grade accordingly as you did it “last minute”. It’s not because I need you to post early. The later you post, the more difficult you make it for your classmates to actively participate. It’s not about you, Karen!
For each Debate, I’ll propose a thought-provoker, which you should then insightfully respond to, based on the terms, content, material in class so far. The key here is to be explicit (cite it!) in what material (& who authored the ideas) you refer to, so we know how your argument is supported.
You should respond to debates directly in the text boxes provided by BB (not by attaching documents with your response). Use APA style to reference your materials using an in-text citation method. Remember, in-text cite ALL materials from which you get your ideas, but page numbers are only necessary for direct quotes. You’ve already seen in your lectures that I provide sources for everything we talk about/read, so you’ll always be able to reference who the material actually comes from [that means that unless it’s something about me specifically, you’re never citing ME or a lecture (which is an inanimate object & so can’t author anything), bc I’ve provided actual sources for everything IN the lecture – it’d be plagiarism for me to not cite me sources, either, right?].
Here’s an example statement you might make as part of a post:
This relates to the idea of morals versus values (Johnson, 2008). For example, deception of principles (Peters et al., 1999) is shown in cases of cheating on exams versus writing assignments or “learning to use sources appropriately” (Eckstein et al., 2010, p. 17).

If you cite in-text the material from something covered in the course, there’s no need to provide a References “page” at the end – you only need to do that for sources you incorporate that aren’t provided to others in the course – which I do not expect you to use in these debates!

Further, the goal is NOT to provide your opinion (unless explicitly asked to do so, like in D1’s initial post only). Also, debates should not just reply to someone. [For ex, saying “good point” to someone’s post is a waste of space – your responses to others should always move the debate/talk forward]. The goal is to show you can engage in a critical (that means considering all sides & talking about them/analyzing them, even if you don’t agree with what you’re bringing up) argumentative discussion BASED ON the material we’re reviewing at the time. The goal is APPLICATION & to write in your OWN WORDS – the style & language you’d use if debating/arguing with friends.

Putting all of that together, then, each post only counts toward your total if it does 3 things (so do these 3 things in every post you make or it’s wasted time!).
1. Incorporates material correctly – using APA in-text citation method, which is ONLY LastName, year for anything paraphrased. See above example. Dumbed down version: If you make a post that has no material/sources cited in it, I don’t even read it; it doesn’t count.
2. Moves the convo forward – ask rhetorical questions of the class, play devil’s advocate, challenge even yourself on how you might be wrong or interpret things from another perspective than the one you just put forward, etc. Dumbed down: If you just post your opinion and forget to also pose a thought-provoker/challenge/argument, then it gets graded down.
3. Is posted early/on time. That means you need to start discussing (i.e., your first/initial debate post) by Wednesday each week. If you don’t do this, it’s like being absent for an in-person class. That means it’s a good idea to “come to class” to do/read your materials on Monday, post by Wed, and then continue posting until the debate closes at the end of the week. Dumbed down: Show up & follow instructions on the schedule!

Finally, remember that doing the bare minimum in anything is standard/average/expected work. Imagine a job. If you did only the bare minimum expected of you in a job, you might not get fired, but you’d never get promoted/rewarded. Same here. The minimum thoughtful responses to others’ posts is 1 initial post + 3 replies — for each weekly discussion, so you’ll want to go WAY above that amount to really get a grade higher than a C in any one discussion. The replies don’t need to be lengthy at all. Each one just needs to do the 3 things mentioned above.
I’ve got some more “helpful hints” for doing these debates – see your Resources folder.