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| "Auguste Reading to Her Daughter" (1910) by Mary Cassatt |
Welcome to the East Central University Honors Program's Enduring Questions website!If you are enrolled in an Honors Enduring Questions class for the fall semester of 2026 at ECU (EQ1 or EQ3), this website is for you. Read on!
Ten percent of each student's grade in both EQ1 and EQ3 will be based on your responses to the questions raised here.
When is this assignment due?
This writing assignment is designed to be completed before classes begin in August. Details about where and how to account for and submit your word count total will be provided in class when the semester starts (preview: you will compile your comments into a Google Form survey that will be due after classes begin).
How will you know if I have read the book? Will we be tested on it?
Where do I post my responses?
At the bottom of each question post, you will find a "comment" link. If it has a "0" beside it, that means no one has commented yet; as more people comment, the number will go up. When you're ready to weigh in, click on the "comments" button, read any previous comments, and start writing. Please sign your posts. And use your real name--not a nickname--so we can get to know each other).
This website is designed to spark conversation. The sort of conversation we're looking to create with this website is academic in character. Thus, your responses should consist of clear, concise statements of your ideas crafted in standard English (not text-speak!). They should be long enough to convey your thoughts, but short enough for other readers to read and respond to fairly quickly. In short, you don't want your responses to be so long that you monopolize (or kill) the conversation by going on, and on, and on.....(we all know how irritating that can be!).
Obviously, responses should not use profanity. They should be civil and respectful. People do not always agree. Responses can be critical; however, all communication is expected to be courteous and professional. Contributors' positions may be questioned; their character should not.
The objective here is to reflect on some of the issues raised by the text, to connect the reading to your personal experience, and to help first- and second-year Honors students get to know each other better.
When should I begin posting my responses?
As soon as you have begin reading Maggie; or a Man and a Woman Walk into a Bar by Katie Yee. Answer questions after you have read the corresponding chapter (and all preceding chapters), but don't wait until you've read the whole book before you start answering questions. Ideally, you will read the question after you've reached that point in the book and respond at that time. There are some questions that you shouldn't respond to after you're read farther ahead in the book (since you know more than other readers do and your response will be shaped by what comes later).
Obviously, responses should not use profanity. They should be civil and respectful. People do not always agree. Responses can be critical; however, all communication is expected to be courteous and professional. Contributors' positions may be questioned; their character should not.
The objective here is to reflect on some of the issues raised by the text, to connect the reading to your personal experience, and to help first- and second-year Honors students get to know each other better.
When should I begin posting my responses?
As soon as you have begin reading Maggie; or a Man and a Woman Walk into a Bar by Katie Yee. Answer questions after you have read the corresponding chapter (and all preceding chapters), but don't wait until you've read the whole book before you start answering questions. Ideally, you will read the question after you've reached that point in the book and respond at that time. There are some questions that you shouldn't respond to after you're read farther ahead in the book (since you know more than other readers do and your response will be shaped by what comes later).
When is this assignment due?
This writing assignment is designed to be completed before classes begin in August. Details about where and how to account for and submit your word count total will be provided in class when the semester starts (preview: you will compile your comments into a Google Form survey that will be due after classes begin).
How many questions should I respond to?
We do not expect you to respond to each question, but you should respond to several representing different sections of the book. We hope that by the time all the class has completed the assignment, every question will have at least two responses.
Are there any questions I have to answer?
Yes. There are three:
1) "The Takeaway." Only answer "The Takeaway" when you have finished reading the book. When you answer the Takeaway, you are also testifying that you have read the entire book (you can find a link to "The Takeaway" question in the text below).
2) "The Tip of the Hat" question (see post below). Your answer to that question will not be a part of your word count. In order to respond to this question, you need to read comments other students have made and take take of those that are most thought-provoking.
3) "An Image." Pay attention to the images that accompany each question set and be prepared to choose one to comment on.
How will you know if I have read the book? Will we be tested on it?
We won't test you. We'll trust you. These questions are not designed to show whether or not someone has read the book. They are designed to enrich your engagement with the book and with other Honors students.
Will you really be able to tell if I haven't read the book?
Some people successfully cheat and lie their way through college, cutting corners and rationalizing dishonorable behavior. You get to decide if you want to be that person. In the process, you'll be determining whether the diploma you're working toward will be just a piece of paper or whether it will actually represent an education.
What happens if get caught either claiming to read the book when I haven't read it or submitting responses that I didn't write myself?
If your answers somehow raise suspicions about whether you've read the book or not, you may get further questions about them from the Honors Director. Academic dishonesty of any kind (including the use of of AI to generate answers and not merely revise them) may result in expulsion from the program and loss of an Honors scholarship. Academic dishonesty becomes a greater temptation the later you wait to start (and finish) this assignment.
How much should I write?
Your responses should add up to a sum total of not less than 750 words. Don't try to load up all 750 words into one or two comments. You should also respond to comments left by other readers. And pose questions to other readers. (Check back later to see if anyone has responded to your comments-and respond to their responses.) All of this writing will count toward your 750-word total. Students are responsible for keeping track of their word total. This is not just a writing assignment, though; it's a reading assignment, too. Every student is responsible for reading every word of the assigned text.
Where do I post my responses?
At the bottom of each question post, you will find a "comment" link. If it has a "0" beside it, that means no one has commented yet; as more people comment, the number will go up. When you're ready to weigh in, click on the "comments" button, read any previous comments, and start writing. Please sign your posts. And use your real name--not a nickname--so we can get to know each other).
More questions?
E-mail us at sbenton@ecok.edu!
E-mail us at sbenton@ecok.edu!
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