Symbolic Systems 205
Systems: Theory, Science, and Metaphor
Spring Quarter, 2006-2007
Todd Davies
Guidelines for Presenting/Leading Discussions(May 2, 2007)
Here are some pointers for effectively presenting your chosen reading and leading a discussion over your allotted time (60 minutes per presentation). Remember that you should bring 8 copies of an 30-35 page excerpt of your reading for everyone one week before your presentation.
Spend about 15-20 minutes summarizing the book or reading set you chose, including those parts that were not read by the whole class. It would be very helpful to prepare a handout summarizing the main points, and including any quotes, diagrams, or other material that you might want to refer to, since the rest of us will not have the book or full readings in front of us.
Say a bit about how your chosen excerpt (read by the whole class) fits into and compares with the rest of what you have read (1-2 minutes).
Pose a short set of questions for the class to discuss (2 minutes, or on the handout), making reference to student blog comments posted related to the reading you assigned
Spend the remainder of your allotted time leading and participating in a discussion of the ideas you have presented, the questions you have posed, and the excerpt that you shared with everyone.