Once in the semester, you will lead the class’s discussion of one of our readings. This exercise is worth 10% of your grade. You will work in pairs to select which reading to discuss and plan the discussion.
The goal here is for you to practice working through and unpacking a complex argument – you don’t have to master every concept raised in your assigned article, but you should spend much more time with it than you usually do in preparing for class.
Each discussion-leading group should prepare a handout or slide show that includes:
• Your summary of two key insights from the article (one sentence per insight)
• One short passage for the class to discuss in detail (50 words maximum)
• One connection to other material we have read in class.
• Two areas you would have to explore further order to more deeply understand the article’s arguments
• Two questions for class discussion, to help students connect with the issues the article explores.
Before your turn to lead discussion, you must make an appointment with me to discuss the readings. I can help you find ideas for questions and examples, suggest which reading you might prefer from the week’s assignments, help you figure out which questions are likely to spark good conversation, and clarify anything in the readings that you don’t understand.
You can sign up to lead discussion at ELMS.