HOW TO PREPARE A REFLECTION ESSAY


WHAT IS A "REFLECTION ESSAY" AND WHY DO WE HAVE TO PREPARE THEM?

For each assigned reading, you must write a brief essay. This is simply a thoughtful written reflection on the reading material. The purpose of this activity is to guarantee that you have prepared adequately for our meetings and to focus our discussion. The assumption of your professor is that you have completed the required reading, studied the content, and thought deeply about the substantive issues raised. Our meetings will NOT consist of a lecture reviewing the required reading. Instead, the readings will serve as the point of departure. Therefore, it is simply unacceptable for students to come to meetings without completing the reading assignments and preparing thorough written commentaries.

WHAT SHOULD MY REFLECTION ESSAY LOOK LIKE?
Your essay must be typed, and it should be approximately 5 double-spaced pages. Use 1 inch margins and Times New Roman (12) font. Put the following information in the top right corner of each brief:

Your Name
HDFR 290
The due date
The reading assignment(s)

The content of your essay should follow the general format listed below:

1. What is the research question and why would anyone be interested in knowing the answer?
2. What is the author's hypothesis?
3. What methodology did the researcher use? How, specifically, did they go about answering the research question?
4. What were the main findings of the research?
5. What theoretical perspective is the researcher using to explain their findings?
6. What three questions remain unanswered by the study?
7. Why are these questions worth asking?
8. How is this material intertwined with what we have been doing in class?


Essays are due at the beginning of the meeting on the due date. Late briefs, including those submitted after the meeting starts and beyond, will not be accepted for any reason.

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