Preparation for seminar

For a professor, the utopia sought in a seminar often succumbs to the necessity of awarding final grades for the course. Particularly vexing for a professor is determining that seminarians are reading thoughtfully and preparing responsibly to discuss the readings. A seminar is a shared endeavor. If a few people slack off, the seminar suffers.

Below are some ways to tackle your readings thoughtfully and analytically.

Analyzing the logic of an article

Complete the following sentences where applicable:

1. The main purpose of this reading is_________________ .

2. The key question(s) that the author is addressing is ______ .

3. The most important information in this reading is _________ .

4. The main inferences/conclusions in this reading are _________ .

5. The key concepts needed to understand this reading are _______ .

6. The main assumption(s) underlying the author's thinking are _____ .

Note: Identifying implicit and explicit assumptions is perhaps the highest purpose of a seminar. If you cannot identify the author's overt or covert assumptions, pertinent discussion is virtually impossible. Providing adequate, thoughtful answers to this question is perhaps the best possible preparation for seminar.

7. If the author's reasoning is taken seriously, the implications are _______. If the author's reasoning is not taken seriously, the implications are _________ .

8. The main point(s) of view presented are _________ . [What is the author looking at and how is she seeing it?]

• adapted from The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking by Paul & Elder.

Exemplars

Exemplars (illustrations, anecdotes, examples of high quality) culled from a work often provide good fodder for seminar discussion. Even a list of exemplary quotations is useful. Often, seminars will take one quote from a work and try to determine its utility and validity.

Pro-con lists

As you read, you'll discover points of view, concepts, etc., with which you agree and disagree. List them. Try to discern whether the two columns (pros and cons) have a pattern. Remember, what distinguishes good seminarians -- as well as good journalists -- is the ability to discern patterns where others do not and to discern breaks in patterns where others do not.

Self-scrutiny

As you read, you react. How? Why?

A useful exercise for the discerning seminarian is to examine your reaction to the readings. Often, that forces you to identify your own assumptions. Knowing what your assumptions are may also lead you to examine from whence they came, why, and whether they remain valid or useful.

Any seminarian who challenges the assumptions of a reading
must also be willing to identify and challenge the validity of her own assumptions.

Another useful self-scutiny: How does your past experience with the press fit alongside this new knowledge of the press in your readings?

One-word summaries

A challenging task is to reduce a reading or readings to one word. But turning in just that one word as evidence of preparation won't cut it.

You'll need to explain how and why you chose that word.

Distinguishing feature lists

Readings are as varied as their authors. As you read, consider the manner in which the author makes her argument. What features of that argument can you discern? What is the nature of evidence presented? What features highlight the reading?

Additional research/Discovery of examples

The content of this course is reflected in numerous trade and academic journals. If you handed your colleagues and me a list of a half-dozen pertinent journal articles with an abstract and a paragraph of your "take" on each, I'd consider that good preparation. I'd also consider it common courtesy -- sharing resources with your colleagues.

Ditto "discovery of examples." In these readings, you'll think, "Y'know, I've seen that sort of thing." And you'll go find examples. They might be news stories (print or online). It might be a few hundred words you pen explaining a pattern you see on CNN (such as its rush to "appointment viewing" instead of news rotations). It might be an observation about patterns or breaks in patterns you've seen over time in various journalistic media.

— adapted from materials from the Foundation for Critical Thinking.

Be creative. Be thoughtful. Be insightful. Be engaged. Be prepared.

Please use the back button of your browser to return to your syllabus.