Temple College
GOVT 2301/2302
Spring 2006
CLASS PARTICIPATION
Students have been socialized to expect certain things from their college courses. One of the
most disturbing expectations concerns time spent in class. Some students appear to want nothing
more from the classroom experience than to sit in their chairs and have the material “wash over
them.”
Most students say they want more than this from their classes but many are not prepared to take
the initiative. Many do not complete assigned readings in preparation for meaningful class
discussions.
An essential part of every student’s liberal arts education is for the student to develop the ability
to express ideas and ask relevant questions in a discussion of course materials and concepts. Like
any skill, this ability is acquired – it takes preparation and practice.
To help students hone this skill, part of your course grade (100 points) will be based on class
participation. Each student will be assigned to a group. [For efficiency sake, this will be the
same group as that constituted for the Political Participation Semester Project.] Individual group
members will be scored according to the quality of the presentation and evidence of their
contributions to that presentation.
The instructor will assign a pair of “point/counter-point” articles to each group. Members of the
group will read the articles and prepare a presentation of the arguments, ideas, themes, concepts,
and facts delineated by the authors for the benefit of the entire class. In this way, the participation
component of your course grade will also facilitate the Liberals Arts Objective of working as
“members of a group” and “contributing to the classroom community” indicated on page 3 of the
Course Overviews and Topical Syllabus.
GUIDELINES FOR PRESENTATIONS
The group’s presentation, and your contribution to it, will be evaluated according to the
following guidelines.
 Organize your presentation to last for about 15 minutes. Longer periods may be
required in those instances in which the issues and questions raised by group
members spark protracted class discussion.
 Organize your presentation around the authors’ theses or main points. [Remember
each group will be assigned a pair of articles.]
 Do not read passages from the articles aloud to the class as part of the presentation,
except on a very limited basis to emphasize a particular point.
 Do not attempt to write and memorize a formal speech to deliver to the class. This
exercise is intended to foster informal dialogue among your colleagues.
 Do not script and read your presentation to the class. You may prepare notes to serve
as a “cue,” but jot them down in outline form and limit yourself to one or two index
cards.
 The group’s presentation should include a statement of the authors’ theses, a
summary of their major supporting arguments, and your own critique, positive or
negative, of the authors’ conclusions.
 Attempt to make your presentation interesting by either integrating other information
that you have gathered from the textbook readings, class lectures, or any other
sources you believe are relevant. Where appropriate, include specific examples from
recent news events that you believe will help illustrate points covered in the articles.
 You are permitted, even encouraged, to enhance your presentation with visual aids.
The multimedia capabilities of our classroom should facilitate some creativity.
[Depending on what you plan to do, you may need to make prior arrangements with
the professor.]
 When preparing your presentation, group members should anticipate possible
questions that may be asked by classmates or the instructor. Your presentation will
be followed by a short discussion period for the entire class which will likely lead to
questions posed to group members.
 Whenever possible, end your presentation with a general question you would want
the class to consider about the authors’ theses. This question can be used to open the
class discussion period. Do not simply re-state the central question posed by the
point/counter-point articles. Give it some thought. The question should be designed
to extend the discussion beyond the arguments made by the authors.
 The group must type and turn in to the instructor at the conclusion of their
presentation at least 10 well-crafted multiple choice questions based on the
information you present in class.