A Writer's Journal is not a daily record of events--I do not want to know about parties, dates, heart-throbs, arguments, gossip, or other things that might prevent you from running for political office in later life. Instead, a Writer's Journal is a place for you to practice thinking-in-writing, which is the fundamental skill required of you as a member of the academic community. Your entries should quite literally be mental work-outs, and, like physical work-outs, they demand that you do them when you are awake. If you try to write when you are tired you will not help yourself, nor will you produce an interesting entry. If you try to do a week's worth of entries at once you will be wasting your time (just as doing five hours of exercise one day a week does not help your body as much as doing 30-45 minutes a day). You might fool me, but ultimately you will be the fool because you will waste the opportunity to become a better writer . . .

Sometimes I will require that you write on a specific issue as homework for the class. This will generally take the form of a continuation of discussion started in class, a topic we did not cover in class, or an issue raised in class but not discussed. I may also ask you to consider a particular topic in writing to prepare you for discussion the next day (in which case I may ask you to read that entry out to the class). Some topics are identified on the syllabus. Responses to readings also count as journal entries.

Writer's Journal entries may also take the form of "dilemmas" where I ask you to consider a particular dilemma I have identified in class. The structure for these entries will be as follows:

• State and explain the dilemma;
• Describe the two (or more) opposing positions one could adopt on this issue;
• State your position (or adopt one if you have not thought about this issue before);
• Defend your position--explain why you consider it to be the better response to the dilemma in as much detail as possible (imagine you are attempting to persuade a person holding the opposing opinion).

Finally, Writer's Journal entries may be written in response to an event, class discussion, reading, film or conversation which inspired, angered, or otherwise aroused your interest. You may analyze and respond, or summarize and respond; however, you may not simply summarize--you must say something ABOUT the issue you raise (preferably something which you have not already worked out and drawn conclusions upon). The impending election may stimulate some interesting entries!