‘…What I am trying to do in my teaching is to stimulate students to think new thoughts for themselves, stimulate them to be good writers, to express their ideas clearly, stimulate them to be good in discussion.”

Prof. Renato Rosaldo, Jr.,

Lucie Stern Professor in Social Studies, Stanford University

Guidelines for reading and class discussion

The readings you are supposed to do at home are the starting point of class discussion and the starting point of learning. Here are some strategies to help you with the reading process and the preparation for class discussion:

Ê Take notes while reading.

Ë Establish the main point or hypothesis that the author is putting forward. Most authors state it directly (e.g. my claim is that…, I will show that…, this paper demonstrates that…., etc.), others are more oblique (in that case try to determine what the paper is “about”, i.e., what is the most important thing the author is trying to convey).

Ì In academic papers authors usually offer supporting evidence/arguments for their claim. Make a list of these arguments and ways in which they support the main point.

Í Having read the paper, if you are really thorough, you should convert your notes into a summary. While note-taking we jot down many peripheral things which happen to strike our fancy and which may or may not be relevant to the main issues. A summary should include the main thesis and the arguments (points Ë & Ì), and be at most 2-3 pages long.

Î Wow! You have now almost written a publishable review of the paper! Almost, but not quite. What is missing?

Ï Evaluation of the claim and the arguments. This is a crucial part. It may be that you are completely convinced. Can you add your own arguments? Or, you may like the claim, but find the evidence unconvincing. Can you then think of some better arguments than the ones used by the author? Or, you may believe the main thesis is totally misguided and the evidence misused, misinterpreted, amenable to other explanations, etc. If so, it is a good idea to think why the author is making this “mistake”.

Ð Voilà! If you followed steps Ê-Ï you are now ready to discuss the paper with others. The whole enterprise is to get you to absorb facts, yes, but also to learn to think critically, evaluate general philosophical positions, as well as specific claims and arguments. AND to expose you to academic discourse in which people may disagree with one another, but allow for different interpretations and can be convinced by well-founded arguments. Persuading others to “see things your way” through rational argument is very empowering.