Discussion move

This discussion move must center on bk. II of Nietzsche’s Daybreak. You may focus on any one (or more) sections up through §118, and it is up to you what discussion move to make: You may ask a question, Explain a key point, or Make a connection. Make sure, however, that whatever move you choose, you following the instructions outlined below.

There are three types of “Discussion Moves” you will be asked to complete:

1. Ask a question.
2. Explain a key point.
3. Make a connection.

Each discussion move must be your own writing and thinking and should show thoughtful engagement with (and good faith effort to understand) the text. If you quote from the text, you should provide a page reference to the quoted material.

NOTE: The first two sentences of each discussion move must read as follows [replace the instructional text in RED with your own]:

In [insert Title of text], [insert full name of Author] discusses [state in a few words the main topic of the text]. Specifically, he argues that [now state what you take to be the text’s main claim or thesis].

You should follow these sentences with 200-400 words (not including any quoted material) that do one of the following:

Ask a question

When you make the “Ask a question” discussion move, you will pose a genuine question that arose for you while reading and then (a) make a good faith attempt to answer it and/or (b) explain why you think the question is important. A good question is one that cannot be answered by Googling (that is, it does not concern matters of fact, but rather matters of understanding or interpretation). It may be about how to read a particularly difficult passage (in which case, make sure you quote and properly cite the passage); about something that puzzles you about the author’s style or strategy; about some apparent inconsistency that you are struggling to resolve; or anything else that comes up as you read.

Explain a key point

When you make the “Explain a key point” discussion move, you will first identity a specific point that the author makes that you think a reader must understand in order to grasp the overall argument of the text. You will then do your best to explain that point in your own words. You may find it useful to quote the passage you are interested in first. However, for this discussion move, it is important that you attempt to explain the text, argument, or passage in your own words, as if you were trying to introduce the text to an intelligent from who has not read it or is not familiar with the author’s work.

Make a connection

When you make the “Make a connection” discussion move, you will either (a) connect a passage to another passage elsewhere in the same text, showing how one illuminates the other; (b) connect a passage in the text, or connect the text as a whole, to a different text, comparing or contrasting them in some way; or (c) show how the ideas or arguments in the text or passage you have selected connect to something outside the text—for instance, in your own experience or cultural context.