Guide to Effective Seminars
Read material fully: highlight, underline, comment in margins, identify key words and passages. Take notes about important ideas as you read if the above is not enough. Spend as much time as possible on your seminar paper. Look for connections with other readings, films, happenings.
Participation
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Be prepared to discuss everyone's paper on Wednesday or Thursday. | |
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When you refer to either the text's or a classmate's essay, cite the page and passage. Read carefully so you can connect with what has been said previously, disagree politely and specifically, play the sensitive devil's advocate, and ask questions. |
Interpersonal and Personal
Treat others as you would be treated: compliment, reinforce, encourage, be open, help, share responsibility, don't dominate, and encourage shy people to join in. Always read and react to others as you would want people to react to you.
Avoid:
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lengthy discussion of readings others are not familiar with | |
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attend seminar not having carefully prepared | |
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put downs | |
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dominating, either by one person or several | |
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B.S. and generalizations which are obviously meant to substitute for careful preparation |
Other Policies:
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In order to participate in the week's seminar, your seminar paper must be typed ready to
go at the beginning of class. There are no exceptions to this rule.
Please realize that all students have lives, which may consist of jobs,
children, spouses, families, etc., yet
they manage to show up prepared to partake in the seminar; thus, it would be unfair to
have different standards for different students.
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Adapted from suggestions by Martin, Nerison, and Scarborough in Building
Learning Communities: A Coordinated Studies Handbook, Washington Center for Improving
the Quality of Undergraduate Education, Olympia: The Evergreen State College, 1989, 48-50.