Journal One: Identifying Conflicts From Other Sources

About Journals
What is a journal?
A journal is traditionally considered a personal reflective writing that is informal in nature. However, an academic journal for your college course is more than that. It is a way to practice formal academic writing, which pays close attention to spelling, grammar, and stylistics. It has a controlling thought that is explored and supported with appropriate sources. While the purpose of this journal is to have you thoughtfully respond to specific prompts and connect your learning to the assigned readings, it is not meant to be a demonstration of perfect APA style. However, you should follow general APA formatting and style guidelines (include your name, double space your paper, and reference your sources).  

How do I write a journal entry in ENG125?
In Weeks One, Two, and Four of this course, you are required to write a journal entry. Each journal prompt will provide specific information regarding what you need to respond to such as assigned readings, how conflict is intertwined into literature, and how certain literary techniques enhance and draw out certain conflicts. The instructions for each journal assignment are formatted using bulleted lists to help you organize your responses. The minimum word count for this assignment is 250 words, and you are expected to use APA style in setting up the document.

Why will I write journal entries in ENG125?
The purpose of a journal entry in this class is to help you explore the relationship between conflict and how it is developed in different literary genres. Also, the goal is to develop your ideas about conflict, genre, and literary techniques through the next five weeks and build these ideas into your Week Five Literary Analysis. This activity will help you write a more effective and detailed literary analysis since you will have reflected on conflict and its representation in literature early and often in the course.

How will my journal entry be assessed?
The instructor will review your journal entry to ensure that you have answered each bulleted point and incorporated the appropriate materials into your assignment. APA format and citations will play a minor role in the evaluation of this journal entry, as will grammar and stylistics. For more details on how your journal entry will be assessed, please review the rubric for this assignment located below.

Journal One: Identifying Conflicts From Other Sources
For your first journal entry, you are required to explore the different types of conflict that are found not only in literature, but in everyday life. Be sure to read each type of conflict thoroughly to get a firm understanding of them since you will be analyzing these conflicts throughout the next five weeks.

In your journal

• Describe where you see each of the five conflicts in everyday life (e.g., in social media, music, literature, or online learning). How does conflict appear in two or three of the various venues mentioned above?
• Identify what types of conflict you saw in one of this week’s reading assignments.
• Give specific examples as support for each conflict you identified.
• Explain why these conflicts are important and how they create meaning. What meaning(s) do they create?

When submitting your journal entry, make sure to

• Proofread your work for errors in grammar, mechanics, and style.
• Format the journal entry according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Refer to the Ashford Writing Center’s Sample APA Title Page for guidelines on formatting a title page in APA style.
• Provide (to the best of your ability) a reference for the text you used, including in-text citations and references listed at the end of the journal entry. Refer to the Ashford Writing Center’s Comprehensive APA Reference List Models and Citation and Reference Guide for guidelines on in text citations in APA style.
• Provide a reference for the text you used. Refer to the Ashford Writing Center’s Citation and Reference Guide for guidelines on citing sources in APA style.
• Perform a word count check to make sure the journal entry is 250 to 500 words in length.
• Save the document as a Microsoft Word or compatible .doc or .docx file.
• Use a naming convention that includes your last name, week number, and the journal number (e.g., Smith_W2.doc)
• ENG125: Introduction to Literature

  Using:

   

  Types of Conflicts Found in Literature

  Below is a list of possible conflicts found in literature. Select each conflict to learn more.

  To help you

  better understand each conflict and how it might be apparent, examples from popular culture have been

  provided. Please also note that it is possible for a text to have more than one conflict at work. The

  repeated references to conflicts in

  The

  Simpsons

  provide further context on how multiple conflicts might

  be present in a single work. Other examples of conflict are also provided.

  Click on each type of conflict to learn more.

  Individual versus Individual

  Individual versus Nature

  Individual versus Society

  Individual versus Technology

  Individual versus Self

  Individual versus Individual

  (Kahn vs

  . Captain Kirk, Tom vs. Jerry)

  Return

  

  Example: Homer Simpson’s profound dislike of Ned Flanders in

  The Simpsons

  is

  unavoidably obvious. The two men are as different as night and day. Though Ned Flanders

  seems unaware that he is Homer Simpson’s antagonist, to everyone who watches, it is

  obvious that Ned plays this role.

  

  Example: One of the funniest movies about in

  dividuals opposing each other is called

  The

  Ref

  , where a cat burglar gets caught in a house with a warring husband and wife. Other

  members of this dysfunctional family also add to the conflict. View

  The Ref

  (1994) fan

  trailer

  or

  explore

  the film on the

  Internet Movie Database (IMDB)

  .