Your Assignments on this Book include:

A short quiz over the book’s content
Participation in a class discussion
Keeping a Journal while reading the book
The audio of Haney-Lopez’s book is 12 hours and 30 minutes. Many of you will need more time than this. Some are slower readers. Some are new to the concepts and vocabulary used. You will also need time to think about what you will write about. Plan carefully.

Journal Instructions:

You will write 11 different journal entries- one for the introduction, one for each chapter 1-9 and one for the conclusion. Follow the instructions for each entry below:

The Introduction: After reading the introduction, write 1-2 pages (typed and double spaced using reasonable font and margins) answering the following question: In your own words, explain what the author defines as dog whistle politics and what you are expecting to learn from reading this book.

This is a personal reflection. There is no right or wrong answer. Be honest about your expectations even if they are not positive ones.

The Main Chapters: For chapters 1-9 write a 1-2 page journal entry for each chapter. (that’s 9 different entries) For the chapter entries you have two parts to address:

1) What did you learn in this chapter? Write a brief summary of the main ideas you took away? Do not include any personal opinions here. This should be no more than 1/2 to 3/4 of a page (typed, double spaced with reasonable fonts and margins).

2) Your personal reflections: In 1-2 pages (typed, double spaced with reasonable fonts and margins) give your own observations about the chapter material. There is no single way to add your own reflections. Some of the tactics you can use are:

Agree or disagree with the author, but explain why.
Describe a moment in your life that is similar to the material in the chapter.
Talk about what surprised you or found interesting in the chapter.
Relate the material from the chapter to something to you learned in this or another class.
Discuss a current event that reminds you of the material in the chapter.
How does the material in the chapter impact your everyday life?
What questions did you have that were not answered by the chapter material?
or any other way you would like to personally reflect on the chapter
For the journal entries over chapters 1-9 also remember that this is a personal reflection. You want to speak in the journal from your own point of view, but also keep it scholarly (relating to what you are learning or thinking critically about) Balance out critical thinking with personal opinions. Do not ignore either.

The Conclusion: Write a 2-3 page entry (typed, double spaced with reasonable fonts and margins) to address the following question:

In his conclusion, the author outlines how to, in his opinion, end dog whistle politics. To what extent do you agree or disagree with his ideas? Is it possible to end dog whistling? if so what recommendations would you make? If not, why not?

Organizing your journal:

You want to start each journal entry with the chapter name or number and the date you write it. Place this in the upper left hand side of the page.

Double space twice between each entry and keep all entries inside one single file. In other words, do not submit 11 files. You will turning in a single paper. Be sure to staple your pages. Place a title page with YOUR Name and the DATE.