A journal assignment is neither a diary nor a polished written paper. Journal writing focuses on connecting class activity with thoughts, emotions, and events in your everyday life. You do not need to answer all the questions or answer the questions directly. Instead, use the questions as prompts to get you thinking and writing a response about a topic related to race and racism. Approach the exercise with the intention of being challenged.

Present your ideas in a coherent and thought-provoking manner. Each journal entry should be approximately 300-500 words (one page single-spaced or two pages double-spaced). After you finish writing, go back to correct spelling, grammar, and other mechanical issues so that a reader can easily understand what you are trying to convey. However, you do not need to structure your journal writing like a formal paper (e.g. introduction, thesis, argument, conclusion).