Tips for Discussions & Sample Posts

Introduction

This page is meant to help you post thoughtful discussion responses so you can earn as many points as possible on the course discussions, which are worth a significant portion of your grade.

However, this page does not contain a complete list of possible examples of what to do and what not to do. That is, other issues may arise with your posts that are not represented in this lesson.

That said, reviewing this page and understanding what is expected of you in discussion boards will likely help you avoid common mistakes.

I will refer to this page if you have trouble with your discussion posts, so make sure to review as needed.

Initial Post

When I refer to your 'initial' post, I am talking about your response to my prompt.

Most students do well on the initial post/response the prompt. Make sure to include page references from our text so I can verify what you wrote. You will lose a lot of points if you do not provide page references. Submit your work by the Friday initial post deadline to avoid losing points. Late initial posts are accepted up until the boards close on Sunday. If you post your initial response on Saturday, you will receive a late penalty. This penalty will be greater if you post on Friday. So if you miss the Friday deadline, post your initial response as soon as possible! Once the boards close on Sunday, no late initial posts or follow-ups will be accepted. Remember: Discussions CANNOT be made up.

Substantively, you will lose points on the initial post if you do not answer all parts of the prompt. The prompts are multi-faceted and ask several questions so make sure you fully address all of the questions in the prompt. In addition to providing the factual answers to the prompt questions, you must also give and explain pertinent examples. 

Initial Post Examples: No credit

Students typically receive at least a few points on their initial post, unless they answer the prompt 100% incorrectly, post very short responses that do not attempt to adequately address the prompt, go off topic, are extremely difficult to read/understand because of poor grammar/sentence structure issues, etc. Note that while you wlll receive some points if you don't correctly reference the required textbook, you will consistently lose points by failing to provide specific page numbers in your initial post.

Initial Post Examples: Partial credit

Example 1:

The below example answers the questions: What is the difference between Keynesian and Supply-Side economics? Why is it difficult for politicians to cut spending? But do not give/explain any examples. It does not go beyond the facts. It is also unclear.

• Keynesian economics as defined in the text is, "The theory that government should use economic policy, like taxing and spending, to maintain stability in the economy"(Pg. 437). Supply-side economics as defined in the text is, "The theory that lower tax rates will stimulate the economy by encouraging people to save, invest, and produce more goods and services"(Pg. 439). The big difference between the two is that as Keynesian economics wants to add more taxes, the supply-side economics wants to lower the tax rate. It is difficult for politicians to cut spendings because they do not agree on where to cut the spending. They all rather cut it from one place and not another. The student could have earned full credit if he/she further explored the topic. He/she states that "they" (politicians) "rather cut it from one place and not another." This is vague. What does this mean? Be more SPECIFIC! For example, consider which programs Democrats prefer to cut and which ones Republicans prefer to cut.

The student could have earned full credit if he/she further explored the topic. He/she states that "they" (politicians) "rather cut it from one place and not another." This is vague. What does this mean? Be more SPECIFIC! For example, consider which programs Democrats prefer to cut and which ones Republicans prefer to cut.

Example 2:

The below example did not earn a lot of points because it does not fulfill the following prompt: Based on your reading of Chapter 1 (Understanding American Politics), explain why the authors believe politics matters. Think critically about how politics affects your life (and/or your family and friends' lives). Call on personal examples/experiences and write about how politics and government impact you. Think of at least two examples.

• Politics basically plays a role in the majority, if not all aspects of everyday life here in the United States. Everything from buying a Gatorade, pumping gas, to how fast you can drive on the freeway, to the taxes taken out of your paycheck each month. And that is just a few minor examples.  As stated in the outline Professor Koné provided,  Politics is EVERYWHERE.  Media, Schools (k-12 and colleges), Internet, Laws, and Police and Fire Stations.

The student gives lots of examples but does not connect any of these examples to his/her life and experiences. The examples are vague/general like, "Government affects me because it determines how fast I can go on the freeway." Yes, this is true but this is a broad example that applies to everyone driving on the freeway. Get more personal and specific.

The student should have picked just one issue that is relevant to him/her. College would be the obvious one. The student should have clearly explained how the government has positively or negatively impacted his ability to receive a college education. How much money is the student receiving in financial aid? Does this amount really cover all expenses? Does the money receive mean that the student was able to go from full-time to part-time work? Get personal and specific! 

Side note: As stated in the Syllabus and all the prompts, you must refer to specific pages in our textbook. This student lost points for not providing page references.

Initial Post Examples: Full credit

Example 1:

The below example addresses all parts of the following prompt: Choose one minority group discussed in the chapter whose struggle you can connect with. Summarize that group's struggle for civil rights over time. How can you relate to this group's struggle? Use your personal experiences to support your discussion post.

I can personally connect with one minority group--"African Americans," since I am half African American myself. According to page 392, slavery was part of the American economy from nearly the beginning of the nation's history. (Student gives a thorough overview of the struggle for civil rights African Americans have faced over time. I cut it to save you some reading time!)

Growing up, my parents would tell my plenty stories of how many people would treat them different, because my father was African American. A personal experience is of my father was when he met my mother. My mom is white and her father did not approve of her dating my father. They struggled so much to be together just because my grandpa did not accept my dad because of his skin color. At that time, my grandpa judged my father because of his skin color; he believed he was a bad person based on his race. 

Another personal experience that can be applied to this is my first job. I was treated unfairly and not with the same confidence as the other employees. For example, while others were doing tasks that were assigned to them, my manager would always come look over my task and not anybody else's. After a while, I really began to feel like I was being singled out because of my race and that my boss questioned my work ethic. I hated to believe it could be true in this day and age but I was forced to confront reality when a co-worker told me that the boss had said discriminatory things about African Americans in the past. I ended up quitting that job for a better opportunity. However, it is unfortunate that I had to be put in such an uncomfortable situation—working with someone who was constantly questioning my abilities and who didn't like me or trust the quality of my work because of my skin color. I am sad to think about how many people have to face this every day.

Example 2:

The below example addresses all parts of the following prompt: Based on your reading of Chapter 1 (Understanding American Politics), explain why the authors believe politics matters. Think critically about how politics affects your life (and/or your family and friends' lives). Call on personal examples/experiences and write about how politics and government impact you. Think of at least two examples.

In chapter one, Understanding American Politics, the authors William T. Bianco and David T. Canon believe politics matters because the political process determines the government's actions. The authors wrote that politics is a fundamental part of how Americans think about themselves (pg. 12).  Voting citizens have the power to enact laws while keeping the desires of the public in mind.  According to page 9 the authors state that the political process is the mechanism for resolving conflict.

Another example of how the government influenced my life is how my family used to get a federal tax credit. My family use to own a hybrid/electrical car, so the government would give us incentives and rebate. I thought it was really cool because the government really encourages people to help the environment more by buying hybrid/electrical cars.

Around the 2008 election, Democrats enacted a massive economic stimulus package (pg. 11). I got a check. In 2009 President Obama passed the bill for The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  I bought a house in 2009 and received another check. Thanks to these acts, I was able to buy my very first home! So, I can definitely see how politics and government policies impact my life.

Both Examples 1 & 2 are full-credit examples; these initial posts are clear and strive to connect the material to their lives. Examples are personal/specific, demonstrating that the students are able to relate their lives to the weekly topic.

Follow-up Posts

When I refer to your 'follow-up' posts, I am talking about your replies to other students. In addition to your initial post, you must always post follow-ups (replies) to two separate students.

Many students understand that the point of follow-ups on a discussion board is to open up/enhance discussion by bringing in new ideas, points, and examples. You should always ask yourself, "What am I adding to this discussion?" "What evidence/examples am I adding to this discussion?" If you are just restating what's been said, you will not receive any points. You must strive to bring in something NEW .

REMEMBER: In addition to your initial post/response to my prompt, you need to respond to at least TWO SEPARATE STUDENTS. You will not receive credit for two follow-ups if you are just having a back-and-and forth with one student. You will also not receive credit for follow-ups if you are adding to your thread/responding to what a student wrote in your thread. While you should definitely check your initial post thread to see if students are giving you advice/feedback/asking questions, posting to your initial post thread will not earn you credit for follow-ups.

You will not receive credit for one of your follow-ups if it is simply a restatement of what you said in your initial post or in your first follow-up. Copying the same idea for all fo your posts will not earn you full credit. You can elaborate on ideas you've already mentioned in previous posts by bringing in new examples/making more connections to your life.

If there are two discussion boards for the week, you need to treat them separately. That is, do not respond to 4 students in one board and assume that you will receive credit for the other board. In Discussion Board 1, you are to post your initial response to my prompt and follow-ups to at least two separate students. In Discussion Board 2, you are to post your initial response to my prompt and follow-ups to at least two separate students.

Follow-up Posts Examples: No credit

The below posts do not contribute any new ideas and/or examples. Trying to help/criticize other students' posts will not earn you any credit. Re-stating/re-phrasing what someone else said will not earn you any credit. While you can point out inconsistencies and what else students can do to improve, such comments are not helpful in furthering discussion.

1. Great factual proof! Add a few more comments to explain your thoughts more and this is even better.

2. This is a well written discussion. You have factual quotations used appropriately to prove your point. As well, you also explain your facts. This is a well written response.

3. I didnt know about the mandatory spending untill reading the book. I still dont fully understand the reasoning behind it but I see why it works.

4. I am not understanding your point about politicians spending aiding Social Security. Social Security is something that we pay in to with every pay check earned.

5. I really enjoyed reading your post for this week, as well as your through detailed information. I felt as if you gave proper citation and examples throughout your post, that covered the prompt very well. What pretty much covers Keynesian economics as well as Supply-side economics, is how people initially spend their money. Great example given in your ending sentence on what would needed to be done if and when, politicians wanted to cut spending costs. Furthermore, give a more of a personal example on how both Keynesian and Supply-side effects your spending or working environment.    

6. Its funny, Taxes seem to be the main thing people reference when speaking of "government". Most likely because it effects what we as Americans love the most...Money.

7. I really like how you mentioned the regulations in the food industry. That is something that affects all of us because we consume food everyday and it is important that the government makes sure that what we are eating is good for us to eat. It is true that because of the government we benefit from FAFSA and Cal Grants. Without these benefits there would be individuals who would be upset because they would not be able to afford college. 

8. I think the founding fathers would definitely prefer a limit government, but don't you think that an active judicial court helps limit one section of government from holding too much power (i.e. limiting them)?

Follow-up Posts Examples: Partial credit

Example 1:

When I think about the constitution, I think about our bill of rights and basic civil liberties, which I agree should not be tampered with, but I think that treating the constitution as a living document creates for a well-rounded and updated government. I think the Founding Fathers would have supported the living document interpretation since they likely realized that society would evolve, requiring changes/updates to existing laws.

The above post does not provide any specific examples and is a bit unclear (first and second sentences need to be re-written and/or specific examples need to be provided and explained to clarify). Student needs to give examples. Explain how society has evolved. The student should have brought in examples like abortion, same-sex marriage, marijuana use that were not relevant issues when the Constitution was written. Because of these contemporary issues, we need the Constitution to be a living document, that is, flexible.

Example 2:

I too tend to support "Judicial Restraint" because the Founding Fathers wanted pure American liberty. With that said, they wanted equal balance of power shared between the president, Congress, and the judiciary. If they were to apply "Judiciary Activism", it would give more power to the judiciary and that alone can unbalance the power that's being shared. Throughout the information I've been reading, having a balanced power of both restraint and activism can also be supported by our Founding Fathers in our evolving society.

The above post does not provide any specific examples. Student says that he/she's been reading and that having a "balanced power…can also be supported by our Founding Fathers." Then cite a source! Provide evidence. Furthermore, the student is unclear/doesn't explain what he/she means by "pure American liberty." What does this vague phrase mean? What does it matter if the Courts practice judicial restraint? Does this impact liberty? Student would have done better if he/she elaborated by providing clear, specific examples.

Follow-up Posts Examples: Full credit

1. In your final paragraph of your Discussion, you indicate that it is difficult for the politicians to cut spending and to increase taxes. This, of course, is due to the nation's mandatory spending, such as interest debt and Social Security. With this in mind, we can see how everything kind of works together.  If we include the Federal Reserve System and the Treasury Department, it makes for a working system.  The Treasury prefers lower interest rates to keep down the cost of financing the debt and to promote economic growth, while the Fed is also concerned about keeping rates high enough to avoid inflation (American Politics Today, Pg. 432).

2. I enjoyed reading your discussion. A few things stood out to me, the first was your family member who came here from Mexico at a young age who worked hard and stayed out of trouble. I agree with you that it seems a loss for him to not share his heritage with his children. I grew up in a neighborhood where I was the only "white girl" and all of my friends were Mexican. I loved being around their families, they took me in as their own when I was a run away and shared their culture with me. The second thing that stood out to me was controlling illegal immigration. My parents and brother immigrated here from Scotland 38 years ago. They were all here on their green cards. My brother unfortunately never renewed his green card and when he got in trouble he was deported back to Scotland. As sad as it was for me to lose my big brother, he broke the law and now pays the consequence for life, as well as the rest of the family. My brother has been in Scotland for 16 years and is doing well, he has never been in trouble since.  My mother obtained her citizenship after my brother was deported.

3. The First Amendment does protect offensive speech. Westboro Baptists were protect not only because freedom of speech protects even offensive speech, but because the offenses were of public matter. Meaning that the targeted of the protests (homosexuality, in this case) are of broader public issues. The PBS video mentions similar cases that the First Amendment protects the rights of groups even though they have offensive speech. For example, the Court upheld the Klu Klux Klan's right to express their accusing views toward the government. In this case, the KKK's were protected under the First Amendment because they are entitled to freedom of speech even if their "speech" is against the government. This case, among others, set precedent to the decision made on Snyder v. Phelps.

In all of the above examples, new personal and/or factual examples are brought in to add to what the initial poster wrote.