A 25-23 - excellent work
B 22-20 - above average work
C 19-18 - average
D 17-15 - below average

*Excellent
This is an excellent start to the term. Yours if one of the best… well-written and thorough in addressing all of the questions and sub-questions I posed. Thanks for taking the time to do such a good job, and I look forward to your other work.

*Fine start
This is an fine start to the term. Yours addressed all of the questions and sub-questions I posed. 
The credibility and objectivity questions were a bit too briefly answered, although you did mention the dilemma between emotion filled personal accounts and history as vetted by historians.

*Do what I say
Also, be sure to do exactly what the questions ask you to do. In this case, I asked that you pick a single story that had the biggest impact on you. You wrote on 2. As a result, you lacked the depth of analysis needed if you spent the time and words on just one. You did, however, do a very good job at answering the credibility and objectivity questions…. the best I’ve read of the papers to far.

*Credible accounts???
Re-read the last few questions. I asked about speaker credibility and subjectivity. The questions I asked required much more depth of thought and written development than you provided here. In the end, you seemed to imply that all of these accounts are fine/equal/credible/etc. We will need to critically examine the evidence we are presented with this term.

*Didn't answer last questions
Re-read the last few questions. I asked about speaker credibility and subjectivity. I don’t believe you addressed those well enough at all.

*Failure
You failed to answer any of the part 2 questions, and even your answer to the part 1 questions (after the intro) was only 3 sentences. The questions I asked required much more depth of thought and written development. But, it was much better than not turning in anything at all.

*Good to struggle
Finally, I am glad that you are struggling with the testimonials. In this day and age, we can’t just believe what we read. (Heck, we can’t believe what we see, half the time.) All of the account should not carry equal weight with you. And I think upon completion of this course, you should have numerous more answers to the questions and assumptions

*Gung speaker
Your analysis of the credibility and subjectivity was much better.  I’m glad you are critically questioning what you are reading.  Don’t go overboard and assume that you are reading entire fabrications.  Vietnam was different… officers did risk themselves and die along with the recruits.  You are correct. That is not the case today.   Do focus on perhaps WHY you thought Gung’s story was less believable.  You can’t assume she didn’t have a head injury, but you can comment on WHY you think she talks about it.  Do you feel that she is posturing, being tough, a tough woman, for the American historian listening to her story?  Now that I can believe.


Here is the grading scale out of 25 points possible.

A >=23 - excellent work
B >=20 - above average work
C >=18 - average
D >=15 - below average

There were no less than 8 questions that needed to be answered in this first assignment. Few students answered all of them well, and half of the questions could have been answered without reading a single page of the textbook

Here they are again, from the Patriots Journal #1 Instructions.

   1. Why are you taking this particular course?
   2. What is your relationship, if any, to the Vietnam conflict?
   3. What lessons do you think Americans should have learned from this conflict?
   4. Do we have similar problems in contemporary society?
   5. Which story in Part 1 of the Patriots book caught your attention? Which speakers stands out?
   6. Why?
   7. How reliable, trustworthy, believable are the speakers you've read so far? Are there accounts more or less credible?
   8. Are they objective and factual or do they suffer from too much subjectivity, too much time having passed, too much forgotten?


In an online class, convincing the instructor that you are reading the textbooks, watching the videos, and incorporating both into your knowledge-base is of the utmost importance. Never meeting face-to-face requires that you accomplish this formidable task with your writing alone. If you've taken a quality online class before, you know this is the case. If you have not, then I hope my comments, feedback, and prompting will help you quickly get "up to speed".

In the second assignment, a public forum in which all students can read all other students' responses, you will see, firsthand, the varying levels of answers, from those that are excellent (A) to those that are below average (D).

This was the very first assignment in this class, and I am quite pleased with your initial work. I am certain that as the course continues, student work will improve. Be sure to read the feedback I have given to each of your journal entries, as it should help you on the next journal assignment.


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