CMN 588: ANALYZING INSTITUTIONAL INTERACTIONProfessor Pillet-Shore
Reaction Papers
Individual Student Discussion Board Postings
To help you integrate what you’re learning in this course with your own everyday life, you will
write one Reaction Paper for each Unit that we cover during the semester.
You will write one (1) Reaction Paper for each of the Units 1 through 6 (as listed on the course
Syllabus). Because there are six (6) total Units, you will write a total of six (6) Reaction Papers
throughout the semester. Your Reaction Papers – a form of participation and discussion – are
collectively worth 10% of your course grade (2 points each).
Instructions
For each Unit, first complete all readings for that particular Unit by the Tuesday night due
date noted on the Syllabus (in bolded italics to the right of the Unit title, copied below):
Unit 1: INTRODUCTION Reaction to Unit 1 readings and “#1 Party School” due 9/8
Unit 2: EMERGENCY SERVICE INTERACTIONS Reaction to Unit 2 readings due 9/22
Unit 3: JUSTICE SYSTEM INTERACTIONS Reaction to Unit 3 readings due 10/6
Unit 4: MEDICAL INTERACTIONS Reaction to Unit 4 readings due 10/27
Unit 5: SCHOOL-FAMILY INTERACTIONS Reaction to Unit 5 readings due 11/17
Unit 6: POLITICAL INTERACTIONS Reaction to Unit 6 readings due 12/8
Then, write up a Reaction Paper responding to those readings and the material you have
learned in class during that Unit by:
• demonstrating engagement with the readings for that Unit (e.g., mentioning key concepts)
• connecting something you have learned from this course during that Unit to something
you have observed/experienced in your own everyday life
• composing an open-ended question that could guide/lead to further investigation into
some issue from that Unit
As you do the readings for this class, monitor for your ‘reactions’ to them: What impact have
these readings had on you? What did you think of them? Did they reveal something to you or
teach you something that you had never known or even thought about before? Have they inspired
you to be (more) curious about some aspect of your social world?
A reaction paper is more than a simple summary of the readings, and much more than a simple
assessment or evaluation of the readings. You can state your opinion about a reading, but then
you need to back your opinion up with a thoughtful elaboration about how and why you feel that
way. And do not simply summarize the readings – instead, write up your reactions to them and
demonstrate through your writing that you are actively engaging with readings for the Unit by
working to figure out how they fit within, and further develop our understanding of, the topic of
this course.
CMN 588: ANALYZING INSTITUTIONAL INTERACTION
Professor Pillet-Shore
In addition to demonstrating engagement with the readings for each Unit (e.g., mentioning
key concepts), in each of your Reaction Papers also include (when possible) a description of
something you have observed/experienced in your own everyday life that relates directly to what
you are learning about in this course during that Unit. What kinds of open-ended questions could
you now ask about that observation/experience?
For example:
— During Unit 2: Have you ever called 911? Describe your experience and connect it to this class.
If not, have you heard about a specific 911-call in the news (on TV or online), and can you connect
something about it to something you’ve learned in this class? Can you hear a 911-call from the two
different participants’ perspectives?
— During Unit 3: Have you ever been a juror, or been called to jury duty? Have you been involved in a
courtroom trial (as a witness, audience member, etc.)? Consider visiting your local courthouse and
observing in a courtroom as an audience member. Also, while driving, have you ever been stopped by a
police officer? What was your experience? Can you understand a justice system interaction from the
different participants’ perspectives?
— During Unit 4: What was your most recent medical experience? Did you have a routine physical exam?
Did you need to see a doctor about a new medical problem? Did you have to go to the emergency room?
Can you understand a medical interaction from the different participants’ perspectives?
— During Unit 5: While a K-12 student, what do you remember about how attendance was handled at
your school(s)? (e.g., How were truancies dealt with?) What do you recall about parent-teacher
conferences? Were you allowed/encouraged to attend as the student being discussed? Do you work in, or
otherwise have access to a school? (e.g., Do you have a relative/friend who is a teacher who regularly
holds parent conferences?) Can you understand a parent-teacher interaction from the different
participants’ perspectives?
— During Unit 6: What was a recent broadcast political news interview or press conference that you
watched? Describe it and connect something about it to something you’ve learned in this class. Likewise,
what political speech can you recall recently seeing/hearing? When was the last time you had to give a
speech? Can you understand a political interaction from the different participants’ perspectives?
Your Reaction Papers may be informal, and they should each be about one page, or 3-4
paragraphs long. Use active (not passive) voice in your writing. Write in the first person (using
“I”). Assume your readers have also read the readings, but that they need a reminder about the
specific details (key terms/concepts) you wish to discuss. Run a spell-check and grammar-check
on your Reaction Papers before printing them.
Submit your typed Unit Reaction Paper by 11:59pm EST on the due date by posting it to
our CMN 588 myCourses website under that Unit’s “Discussion Board” link.
If you ever have technical difficulties (e.g., with myCourses), email your Reaction Paper directly to me to
be sure it’s counted as ‘in’ on time. Late Reaction Papers will not receive credit.
We may discuss Reaction Papers in class.* During these discussions, please be sure to follow one
simple rule: Always be courteous and treat others’ contributions with respect.
*
If you ever wish to include something in your Reaction Paper that you’d like to share with the professor, but you’d
prefer to keep confidential from classmates, please coordinate this with Prof. Pillet-Shore.