Writing regular journal entries is an important exercise for writers. Journal writing allows you to connect with important thoughts, to analyze your life, to relieve writing anxiety, and to practice spontaneous writing. It can also provide ideas that you may use in later writing assignments, or help you find a starting place for a current assignment. Journal entries are written for content, so the focus should be on the quality of the ideas, not on spelling or grammar.

Ideally, students will compose entries almost every day, but at least one entry per week must be completed, for a minimum of thirteen entries (see Projected Schedule). Journal entries must be typed or neatly written in ink. Each entry must be at least one hundred words and demonstrate serious thought on the assigned topics. Hurried, careless, or thoughtless entries are not acceptable, so be sure to put the effort into each that the assignment requires.

Journal entries will not be collected each week; instead, journals will be collected several times during the semester, including at least at mid-term and before finals week. For this reason, do not write your journal entries in your class notebook! Journals may be kept (1) in a separate notebook; (2) on separate pages that can be handed in - not pages torn from a spiraal-bound notebook; or (3) on disk, in MS Word (or compatible) format.

The following entries must be completed by the due dates indicated on the course schedule:

Journal 1:
What has been your proudest accomplishment to date?

Journal 2: Choose one of the following topics
Describe a time when you learned the true meaning of courage.
Describe a time when you learned the true meaning of responsibility.

Journal 3: Choose one of the following topics
Describe a time when you learned the true meaning of love.
What is the worst date you have ever had? Why?
What was the best date you have ever had? Why?

Journal 4: Choose one of the following topics
What are your three best personality traits? Provide examples for each.
What are your three worst personality traits? Provide examples.

Journal 5: Choose one of the following topics
How would you define the typical community college student?
How would you define the ideal student?

Journal 6: Choose one of the following topics
Describe one favorite possession--an irreplaceable, sentimental object, perhaps--and explain your reasons for choosing it as your favorite.
Describe one of your heroes--a person that you really admire--and explain your reasons for choosing him or her.

Journal 7: Choose one of the following topics
Describe a person from the past that you think has made a significant impact on society.
Describe an historical event that you think has had a significant impact on society. Explain the event, its significance, and why you selected it.

Journal 8: Choose one of the following topics
What have you done that you consider to be really adventurous?
What is the strangest thing you've ever seen or done?

Journal 9: Choose one of the following topics
Describe the characteristics of an ideal friend, providing valid examples from your life and experiences.
If you could be trapped for six hours in an elevator with any human being, living or dead, who would it be and how would you pass the time?

Journal 10: Choose one of the following topics
Describe three things that you want but do not need and three things that you need but do not want.
Successful people often set realistic, attainable goals. What do you expect your life to be like five years from now and fifteen years from now? Be specific.

Journal 11: Choose one of the following topics
Explain your worst school-related experience ever.
Explain your best school-related experience ever.
Explain your best (or worst) work-related experience ever.

Journal 12: Choose one of the following topics
What is your definition of "freedom?" When do you feel most free? When do you feel least free?
If a rich relative left you $1,000,000 with the condition that all the money must be spent within one week and may not be saved, invested, disposed of or given away, how would you spend the money?

Journal 13: Choose one of the following topics
What surprised you the most about your current semester in college? Regarding your classes, teachers, and your study habits, what were you discouraged by? What were you pleased about?
How have you changed personally over this semester? What have you discovered about yourself?

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