Seminar+guidelines


 * __Seminar suggestions for Dr. Howard’s classes__**


 * General points:**
 * Preparation is key! Spend the required time on this please. And note that it’s a good chunk of your grade. This is not a ‘giveaway’ grading category!
 * Proofread!
 * Give me your seminar paper before you begin talking.


 * Preparing your seminar paper and presentation**
 * When preparing your presentation, think about the reading __analytically__, rather than sequentially. You should assume that students have done the reading. Your work should offer more than merely summary, and should be the basis for discussion in class. It might offer critique, appraisal, interpretation, clarification, and questions for discussion or further thought.


 * Thinking or assessing a text analytically might include:**
 * What categories or concepts is the author using? What are the major concepts and what do they mean to this author (for example, as opposed to what we’ve talked about in class, or what some other author thinks)?
 * Is the content significant or important? Why? What has the author ignored or deemphasized that another author, you, or I might emphasize?
 * What explicit or implicit theoretical assumptions underpin the author’s argument? Theoretical perspectives might include:
 * Institutionalism
 * Historical materialism
 * Pluralism
 * Rational choice
 * Elitism
 * What descriptive or causal claims does the author make, if any? How are these assessed? How does the author defend her argument? What kind of evidence is offered?
 * What alternative explanations or descriptions does the author consider? (“Reich considers alternative hypotheses…”
 * How does the reading fit into the points I’m trying to make in the course? What relevance is the reading? You’ll earn a reader’s admiration by linking this to other readings (“Unlike xxx, Reich argues that xxxx” or “Unlike Pontusson, Reich relies on instantiation…”)
 * What is left unanswered, unsaid, or unquestioned? What more would you like to know, see, hear? How does this relate to other readings you’ve done, other courses, or to current events?

Presentation 1. First, remind the class what reading you’re discussing you’re doing. You may want to remind us what we’d done previously 2. Offer a very brief summary of what you’re going to cover. (“First I’ll… Next I’ll…Finally I’ll…”) 3. Then, begin with an overall description of the reading “This is a journalistic account…” “This is a densely argued academic account…” 4. Next, tell us whether you liked the reading or not, and why (very briefly) 5. Summarize the main points of the article 6. Expand on the parts you think are most relevant to the class, or to me, or to you