I’ve mentioned a few times this social annotation assignment over the past year of #pandemicpedagogy — it’s been the best DH-y assignment without really being Digital Humanities. (If you’re using Canvas to set up this assignment, here’s how you do that (in Canvas but should be public).
Students in this required course (upper division English majors) have to grapple with a variety of critical theoretical models in order to articulate 10 different ways of analyzing one particular text throughout the semester (Heart of Darkness, and here’s why). Also, these social annotations were one method to build community and get students interacting with each other when we turned to completely online teaching (as of March 9, 2020). The assignment is embedded through Canvas (with Hypothes.is as an external tool that’s added via our eCampus approval) and uses a pdf (stored on my SJSU Google Drive) of the article from a subscription database. We look at examples of what additive means and try to steer clear of writing a formal essay: be generous with each other and the text, explore your ideas, what makes you curious? Kathleen Fitzpatrick’s work, Generous Thinking, has been on my mind alot lately; it’s been important to bring that to my students and their work as well.
The deeper we get into the semester, the better these get. We go over how to read complex literary criticism: first paragraph, last paragraph, topic sentences, then wade in! But, I spend the first few weeks responding to their annotations before the due date to help them perform more than definitions or attempting to be “right.”
It’s an intense exercise because I’m commenting on ~25 annotations prior to the due date and then grading 75 annotations each week. During the pandemic and lockdown, though, it’s the one assignment that has genuinely built upon online community in a way that showcases their intellectual explorations very well. One student told me that with the progress of each week of this course, she feels smarter just from assignments like these and our one synchronous meeting.
One element to note if you’re using Canvas: a rubric can be added to the assignment, but do it before designating the assignment as using an external tool. You won’t be able to see the rubric in the view of the assignment, but you’ll be able to see it in Speedgrader. Also, submission date, for some reason is always Dec 2000. Even if they just open the assignment tool, it gets marked as submitted. Letting them know all of this up front stemmed a lot of panicked emails to me.
Week 6 Feminist & Gender Theory – JHU Annotation for “Gender Theory”
Each week, each critical model is accompanied by articles from the Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory & Criticism (requires log-in). Since reading theory can sometimes be challenging, we are going to work together to unpack the theory in this article and explore its relevance for applying it literature and other texts by using the tool, Hypothes.is, to create social annotations.
This is the first time we’re all using Hypothes.is. If there are questions or bumps with the tech, post a question over in Instructor’s Online Office.
How to Use Hypothes.is – The Tech Stuff
Before beginning your annotations, watch this video on how to work all of the tech in order to leave an annotation that can be seen by everyone in class.
With the Hypothes.is tool, there are 4 kinds of annotations that you may add to our reading :
- Highlights (private to you only)
- Annotations
- Page Notes
- Replies
Annotations and replies are the types of annotations that we are using for this assignment. Take a moment to look at the “Illustrated Taxonomy of Annotation Types” to help you understand the difference and what these will look like in the Annotation screen before proceeding any further. (Click on “Watch Screencast.”)
Now that you have some tech help on using Hypothes.is, you’re just about ready to start adding some annotations and replies.
BUT FIRST, read what you’re required to write in those annotations and replies.
What Goes into an Annotation and Reply?
For this assignment, you will add at least three (3) annotations to each article. Once a concept or key point or phrase or sentence has been annotated, you may not add another annotation.
These are the 3 types of annotations/replies that are required:
Annotation Type #1: Help explain the text by asking questions about confusing parts then looking up the answers. You can link out to other resources, thus creating a network of information. Avoid simply asking “what is this?” Connect the annotation back to the key point in the sentence or paragraph.
Annotation Type #2: How do you see a point about this critical model being applied to any literary text (be specific)? Feel free to refer to texts you’re reading in your other courses, too.
Annotation Type #3: Engage in discussion of the article by responding to someone else’s annotation. The response should be additive and not simply an agreement. If you annotate early, you may need to return and add more later (more than a 👌😏👍🏼).
Before choosing a sentence or phrase (don’t do a whole paragraph!), read this “Annotation Tips for Students” and heed its advice:
- Select text carefully for annotation;
- Annotations should be additive (<—-super important!!);
- Make use of the toolbar to create formatting to emphasize important points; and
- Use of links and images.
To Get to the Hypothes.is Annotation Page
In order to start your Hypothes.is annotations for this week’s reading(s), scroll down to the end of this page and click on the bar “Load Week 2 xyz – JHU Annotations into a new window.” I enabled this feature because working on the annotations from this assignment renders a very small window that’s difficult to read.
Grading
Each annotation is worth 5points and is awarded based on the ability to highlight a key/main point, articulate a well-thought out plan for applying to literature, engage the conversation of another student through the annotations.
No need to use complete sentences or formal writing here. However, each annotation should be substantive and additive, which means that it needs to be more than a “I agree” or “good job.” For the full 5 points, annotations #2 & #3 need to push or challenge the ideas being offered and provide links to other materials that deepen the discussion.
Attached is the rubric used to grade these annotations
Citation: This assignment adapted from Rebecca Frost Davis’ “Digital Reading with Hypothes.is” Assignment, St. Edward’s University (2020).
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