Blake Murders
Prof. Baker
Academic Reading and Writing C1000
1/30/2026 - End of Semester
Reading Response Journal
Week 1
Part 1: How to Read a College Syllabus
The first key point Jeff Kaplan talks about is keeping a personal calendar, not just for
school but for your whole day-to-day life. Find your professor's office hours and add them to
your calendar for C1000. The office hours are typically before class on Wednesdays, around
4:30-5:30. Per the video and what Prof. Baker recommended, to actually read over the class
description to actually get a quick understanding of what is likely to go on in the class. Jeff talks
about the meme of “Just Read the Syllaubs” and Prof. Baker im sure, feels this deeply aswell due
to her Syllabus being so lovely and detailed (which is appreciated).
Part 2: Calendar and Policies
Jeffery Kaplans Youtube video was very entertaining. He definitely has received a
subscription from me. Jeff mentions that the students should be right away planing their journey
right away through the class based on the syllabus schedule, policies, and reading materials. Ive
already done this, my calendar, which I started using at the beginning of 2025, has been the most
helpful tool ever. I personally use Samsung / Google Calendar as they sync between each other
and with every one of my devices, making it extremely easy to stay on top of
events/assignments.
Some key takeaways from the syllabus
The course is:
• Very tech-friendly laptops and tablets are more than welcome
• Prof. Baker, after the first in-person clas,s has been very warm and set up the vibe of the class
to be very welcoming
• Food is allowed (which is great because it's a nighttime class). Prof. Baker mentioned that shes
very understanding if you want to bring food because many people who take this class are
coming from long days of work or being busy, and many do not have time to eat, so if you need
to bring a quick bite thats totally okay.
• Shes very clear about how we shouldn't let AI models be thinking for us, as that's literally the
whole point of an education, to learn and not for a machine to spit out “perfect” content, that the
human voice is what's important to writing. AI can be used as a valuable tool, but shouldn't be
doing the work.
Prof. Baker mentioned in class that there won't be quizzes unless the class is not showing
theyre really doing the assigned readings and ready to learn in class. If many people are showing
that the readings are not being completed, quizzes may be administered to the entire class.
Reading for the first 10 minutes of class I find to be a super fun idea I own an E-ink
Kidnel E reader and will present it to her for permission even though reading on paper is whats
stated as being required Prof. Baker said that generally its a no for reading on technology but few
exceptions may be made if the case is deemed fair sense the screen is E-ink and there are
multiple books and no other forms of media on the device im hoping for a pass!
______________________________________________________________________________
Reading Response Journal
Week 2
0
