An annotation assignment could be a one-off exercise in close reading or it could be a regular practice for students throughout course readings. The following assignment imagines Hypothesis as a go-to reading and collaborating tool for an entire course.

Overview

We will be using Hypothesis social annotation to explore the primary texts of our course by collaboratively annotating them online. Annotating a text in detail is a step towards developing larger analyses. For example: You might end up using a brief close reading of a passage you first made in an annotation as a part of a traditional paper for a class.

Assignment

We will begin working with Hypothesis by annotating the primary texts for the course. Your ongoing assignment is to add at least one original annotation and offer a thoughtful reply to at least one classmate’s annotation on each assigned reading as we read them.

Guidelines

While online writing is relatively informal, your readers will appreciate your original ideas and proper grammar. As in conventional essays, arguments in annotations should also be backed up with evidence. This is easy to do: anchor your annotation to evidence supporting your argument in the reading, and/or link to external supporting material in your annotations. You can also include images, videos, and other links in your annotations where appropriate. Lastly, as with all writing, be sure to proofread your annotations before posting. Did you find a typo later? You can edit annotations after you post.