The prompts for you to consider in your reading journal for each class session will be listed below. The questions are intended to be open-ended, so please feel free to answer in whatever way you see fit.

Each entry should be approximately 50 words or more.

Unit 1: Autobiographies as Historical Sources

Date	Topic	Question(s)
Mon., Jan. 25	Course Introduction	No entry
Weds., Jan. 27	How do historians work?	In the episode, each historian offers his or her explanation for how and why they study the past. Which of these explanations did you find most intriguing, and why?
Mon., Feb. 1	What is an autobiography?	According to Bjorklund, in what ways do autobiographers craft their narratives to respond to their audience?
Weds., Feb. 3	Telling the Story of One’s Life	Based on your prior knowledge and on reading Samson Occom’s account, what do you think are the most important elements that make a piece of writing an “autobiography?”
Mon., Feb. 8	Terms for Life Stories	Select two of the “tools” that Smith and Watson describe for reading autobiographies. How do you think you can use them in class as we read additional autobiographies?
Weds., Feb. 10	Terms for Life Stories	Select two of the “tools” that Smith and Watson describe for reading autobiographies. How do you think you can use them in class as we read additional autobiographies?
Mon., Feb. 15	No class meeting	Presidents’ Day
Weds., Feb. 17	Exposing Slavery through Autobiography	Why do you think Bibb chose to describe these particular events from his time as an enslaved person in the way that he did?
Mon., Feb. 22	Honors Project: Reading an Autobiography	Briefly discuss your interests for the project: do you have a particular person in mind? A time period or place that most excites you?
Weds., Feb. 24	Experiences of War	What most surprised you about Fazio’s account of traveling to Iraq?
Mon., Mar. 1	Author Visit: Teresa Fazio	Share the question you would like to ask Dr. Fazio.