SOAN 349: Frontiers & Borders
MW 2:45-4:00, Alumni 108
Colgate University
 Spring 2005 Professor Thomas Hall
 NEW Office:  B3 Alumni, x7042, email:  tdhall@mail.colgate.edu
 OFFICE HOURS:  M 4-5, TU 2-3, W 11-12, & by appointment
How to Initiate Discussions on Readings
Last Updated 1-13-05

For some of the readings I will assign students either to present a summary of a reading, or to initiate discussion of that reading. Everyone will do this at least once. Depending on the final size of the class this may be done in teams, or in groups -- the same ones that will be doing the case studies.

It is important that you read the ENTIRE reading.  If you divide it up, it, and you will not make sense [and so your grade for that event will be less]. Your goal is NOT to replace reading the assignment for the rest of the class.  Your goal is to summarize it briefly -- 2-4 minutes --  in a way that initiates discussion of the reading.  2 to 4 minutes is not very long, so work on what you will say so it will be brief.

Include those things of thefollowing as are appropriate for the particular reading your are discussing: 

• (a) summarize the author's main argument 

• (b) summarize the major evidence for her/his argument 

• (c) criticize any weak points you see 

• (d) suggest ways it might help us think about frontiers or in some cases why it does not.  It is ok to report that you canNOT figure out how it relates.

• (e) suggest how it relates to other frontiers we have discussed in class.

• (f) suggest questions it implies about frontiers.

• (g) as we progress be alert to what the reading says about a general explanation of frontiers 

  • formation

  • transformation

  • maintenance

  • destruction

Only some of these will apply to each reading. For instance, for case studies we read in common, you should focus on what we learn in general about frontiers from that specific case. You should only summarize those aspects you need to in order to support your interpretation of that reading, not the entire reading.

Feel free to make a summary chart or outline if you think it will help. Or you can brings a set of specific questions for discussion.  

NOTE WELL:   good discussion questions are not like quiz or test questions. They should not have specific, factual answers. Rather, they are questions, or if you prefer, issues that need clarification.  They should be interesting, and typically controversial, so people will have different things to say about them.

If you want to distribute something to the class, make enough copies for everyone. Alternatively, if you make notes
electronically you can get them to me in digital form, and I will put them on the course page.

Send comments or questions to tdhall@mail.colgate.edu
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