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| I have asked you to come to class each week prepared to discuss the reading assignments. A reasonable student might ask: what should I know to feel that I am, in fact, prepared to discuss the reading assignments in class. I've tried to provide some guidance to help you feel prepared in the form of a series of questions that you should be able to answer about each assigned reading. Of course, at some point during the semester, you will encounter an article that will confuse you so you may have difficulty answering one or more of these questions from time to time. That is OK. In fact, it is good if that happens from time to time. Addressing areas of uncertainty will be an excellent way to start class. Thus, the expectation is not that you will be able to answer every question every week but that you will have thought about these questions/answer for every paper every week. I would encourage you to write out brief responses to these questions and bring those responses to class. Doing so is optional, but having these notes to refer back to might help keep you oriented during class discussions. |
Identify the main research question or controversy
- What motivated the authors' to run this experiment?
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Identify the competing theories/explanations/answers to the main question or controversy
- Often a paper will pit two competing theories against one another (e.g., some people think X; others think Y).
- Other times, the argument will be more like, If X is true, Y should happen in this experiment
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You want to understand the method and data for empirical articles that include an experiment/study
- describe the experimental method used to address the main question
- understand the hypothetical or predicted results
- what were the actual results?
- what do those results tell us about the main research question?
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You'll want to understand the argument for review articles that do not include an experiment/study
- describe the kinds of data that were used to address the main research question
- identify consistencies and inconsistencies in the data
- describe the authors' interpretation of the data and their explanation for inconsistencies in the literature
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Assess strengths and weaknesses in the argument including methods, analysis, and interpretation
- How well did the authors' and or their data make their case?
- Were their problems with the way the expeirment was set up?
- Do the data support the conclusions the authors draw from them?
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How does this paper relate to one (or more) of the other readings assigned this week (or perhaps this semester)?
- I think carefully about which papers I assign each week and they usually relate to at least one other paper or to a topic from earlier in the semester. Understanding these relations will enhance your ability to follow and contribute to our class discussions
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