Welcome to the Spring 2016 class blog for

WST 395 Genders and Sexualities in East Asia!

This space is intended as a more interactive platform for you to write about topics related to course themes, share your writing and thoughts with others, read what others have written, and critically respond to their opinions.

Tasks: For each of the topics listed in the blog subheading (which corresponds with the topics in the course schedule e.g. “Why Genders and Sexualities in East Asia?”), you will need to post one Primary Post (250 to 300 words) responding to specific questions (on Blackboard), and two Response Posts (maximum of 80 words) to your classmates’ Primary Posts. This amounts to a total of 4 Primary Posts and 2 X 4 Response Posts over the duration of the semester. Consult the syllabus for the exact due dates.

Grading and relevance: Primary Posts will be graded based on their originality, quality of response, reference to course materials, and relevance to course themes. Response Posts will be graded based on their quality of response, reference to course materials, and relevance to course themes. Exceeding or falling behind the word limit, replicating other students’ posts, and late posts will result in docked points.

How to get started: You will be invited through email as an “author.” You need to accept the invitation and log in. If this is your first time to WordPress, you need to create an account first. Note: The “author” function allows you to log into WordPress, create, edit, publish, and delete only your own posts i.e. your classmates will be able to view your posts but will not be able to edit or delete them. You are also encouraged to upload images and post links to websites that you think are interesting and related to the topic(s). (These images and links do not count towards your word limit.)

How to post:  Click the pencil icon on the top right corner. Type in your Primary Post, title, and leave your name (if not obvious from your username). Click on “Tags & Categories” on the right column and type in the category e.g. Why Genders and Sexualities in East Asia. When you’re done, click on “Publish.” You need to always create a new post instead of placing your Primary Post under “Leave a Reply,” because that function is reserved for Response Posts from other students.

How to view other people’s posts: On the class blog page itself (https://gseastasia.wordpress.com), click on the icon with three stripes on the top left hand corner and you will go to the “Menu.” Click on the relevant category (e.g. “Why Genders and Sexualities in East Asia?”) and you should be able to see your and other students’ published Primary Posts. This is where you should go to make your two Response Posts by clicking “Leave a Reply” at the end of each Primary Post (choose two Primary Posts to respond to).

Troubleshooting: WordPress is a fairly easy platform to use, even for beginners. If you do have problems, please consult the FAQ (http://en.support.wordpress.com/category/faq/) first. You will find it faster to resolve your issues if you troubleshoot with the FAQ. WordPress also has tutorials for beginners on how to create, edit, publish, and delete a post (http://en.support.wordpress.com/). However, if you are still unsure or have questions, by all means consult me via email.