Leading a class discussion
5% of quarter grade
discussions take place throughout the quarter

Each class member will lead at least one and probably two class discussions this quarter.   Leading a class discussion entails guiding the class through approximately twenty minutes of analysis and interpretation of the piece of writing in question.   Prepare by reading the assigned piece several times, then generate a list of questions.   Come in to class with ample questions, more than you will need.   Rather than fashioning questions that require one word or very simple responses, create questions that require complex answers, ones that can be approached in multiple ways.   In essence, you are looking to provoke discussion and even debate among the class's participants.  

Once you have taken the discussion leader's seat, do not try to rush things.   If you throw out a question to which no one responds, wait a moment.   Be patient!   Silently count to ten; give people time to think of something to say.   If the silence lasts long enough, someone will speak!  

While preparing, keep the following three points in mind:
  1.   The analysis you direct should reference the piece's rhetorical qualities:
    • the type of appeal (pathos, shared values, ethos, logos) and its effectiveness
    • the audience (intended [ideal] readers, invoked readers, real readers)
    • the context (the larger social, cultural, institutional, religious, economic, linguistic, geographic field within which this argument is being presented)
    • the purpose (the "infrastructure" of its argument: enthymeme [claim + reason], warrant [and backing], grounds, qualifiers, conditions of rebuttal, and attempts to counter objections
    • and, lastly--depending on whether or not we have covered the following material at the time your discussion is scheduled--the type of argument it represents (whether the reading in question is a proposal, a causal argument, an argument of definition, or an argument of evaluation)
      Depending on which type of argument the essay illustrates, break it down even further.   For example, if the piece represents an example of an argument of evaluation, establish whether it is an inartistic or artistic argument, whether it is quantitative or qualitative, and so forth.

  2. While it is important to examine and evaluate the piece's rhetorical qualities, attempting to touch on all of the above items may result in a deadly dull classroom experience.   In other words, mechanically running down a list of predictable questions will stifle discussion.   Do not ask such questions as "who are the intended readers?" "who are the invoked readers?" "what kind of appeal is the author making," "what is the warrant here?" and so on.   Such a flat-footed approach will put everyone to sleep.   Instead, try to weave these rhetorical considerations into a broader approach, one that concentrates on the essay's claim.
    • For example, Brent Knutson in "Auto Liberation" proposes that on certain highways speed limits be abolished.   Such a controversial proposal should not be buried under a string of obligatory questions.   Instead, create a framework in which the essay's most dramatic--and debatable--aspects immediately spring to the foreground.   Because some of your colleagues will support abolishing speed limits and others will oppose it, use the essay's controversial proposal to leverage a dynamic debate.   However, do not go too far in this direction: always keep the discussants' focus on the essay.   Don't let them wander off on tangents.   It is your job to keep everyone on track--which means, keeping everyone's attention directed on the essay and its claims.   Don't let people become distracted by other things such as high-speed car wrecks, or the CHP, or someone's perception of a constitutional right to drive as fast as he or she wants.   If you are successful, "Auto Liberation's" various rhetorical qualities--its enthymeme, warrant, qualifiers, and especially conditions of rebuttal--will come up on their own.   Identify these qualities--or ask others to do so--whenever they seem to be hovering in the background.


  3. Do not attempt to do all (or even most) of the talking yourself.   In fact, in most cases, the less you find yourself saying, the better you are doing.   Successfully completing this assignment means inviting all of the individuals in the class to make verbal contributions.   Remember that class participation makes up 10% of each class member's grade, so give everyone ample opportunity to speak.   If you see that someone hasn't said anything, direct a specific question to him or her.   Lastly, try to respond to others constructively--that is, follow up on their ideas with thoughtful comments of your own.

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