Questions for Week 3's Themes: Mindfulness and Observation

Journal questions:

• What'd you learn as a result of the "Comparing the Conventions of Journals" assignment?
• What did you find most interesting about the journals you analyzed, and why was it interesting?  How/does that connect with your own journaling?
• Compare and contrast (the content, the style, the "moves," etc.) your journal to the ones that you analyzed.

"Revisiting the readings" questions:

• The three writers whose work we've read so far are Rubin, Botton, Goldberg, and Bunn. What "moves" does each writer make?  Put another way: what observations can we make about each chapter/piece when we "read like a writer" as Bunn suggests?
• Try to describe their styles.  How are they similar?  Different?  Be specific!
• Pick a phrase, sentence, or paragraph that you really liked from each piece.  What, exactly, do you like about it?

"Field journaling" questions/assignment:

• Set up shop in a place/space around downtown Santa Barbara that you find interesting.  Go there in groups of 3-4.  
• Take it all in and record it.  Observe what you see.  Capture dialogue.  Take "sensory stock" of your environment -- the people, the place, the vibe.

Post-field wrap-up questions:

• How did each of your group members capture that moment similarly?  Differently?
• Share your conversation with the class, and make sure to "set the scene" (ie, describe where you were and, generally, what "happened") so we have some context.