Goal:

1. To provide you with experience in leading a discussion. DO NOT PREP A LECTURE
   You may want to bring a ppt on a usb drive, or your laptop - but this should be only for visuals that support your discussion.
2. Make connections: explain connections between course themes and the readings: how do these readings connect with the particular themes of the seminar, or the course as a whole? How do they take us in new directions?

What is required? How to do this:

1. Introduce the authors:

• who are they,
• what is their contribution to scholarship,
• how does their situation bear on their scholarship?
• Timeframes?

2. BRIEFLY summarize and discuss contents (max 10 minutes):

• touch upon the major concerns of the articles/chapters to refresh the memory of your colleagues; think of this as a brief statement of structure and form.
• If there is too much to summarize briefly, consider preparing a hand out to move through this section efficiently.
• Whatever you do, avoid a blow-by-blow summary of the chapter/articles.
• Remember, you should assume that everyone in the seminar has read the assigned materials.

3. Structure the discussion and raise questions related to the writing assignment. Think of outcomes:

• how can my group lead a discussion that will force colleagues to think about this topic in fresh, complex ways?
• How can we shape the discussion while remaining flexible to the movement of ideas in debate?
• What organizational models for the discussion will facilitate the learning process and provide space for people to contribute and participate?
• Can we vary the pattern of discussion from previous weeks to make sure the seminar does not become rigid and formulaic? For example, we all start off together, the given there are 3 or 4 leaders of the discussion, break the group up into 3 or 4 groups, discuss particular questions, debate ideas, get back together for final 10 minutes to discuss results of breakout groups.