SOC 585
Population and Environment
Summer I 2004

Guidelines on Leading the Discussion on Demographic Research

On June 11, 18 and 25 we will have sessions dedicated to teaching about demographic research.  In each session, three of the graduate students in the class will lead a discussion on one of the assigned articles.  Each discussion should last about 30 minutes, and the participants will be the other graduate students in the course.  We will assign the articles to individual students at the beginning of the semester.

In your discussion, you should highlight the important points made in the article, and relate them to the information presented in class lectures and discussions, and the other readings for the course.  You should ask provocative questions that encourage your fellow students to think about and engage with the information presented in the article.  It is your responsibility as discussion leader to keep the discussion going, and to involve all of the students in the discussion.

You will also prepare a lesson plan about the article, but your discussion is a separate assignment; that is, you are NOT to lead the discussion based on your lesson plan.  The lesson plan should be aimed at an elementary or high school class; your discussion should be aimed at your fellow graduate students.