Instruction
Part 1: Critical Perspective. For the purposes of the presentation, students will be expected to form a perspective on the material in the text derived, in part, from the annotated reflection due. Discussants are not simply expected to summarize the reading. They are expected to present some interesting facet they have discovered in relation to the reading. Consider the following questions:
How does the information presented in the reading connect to broader issues outside of the context of the class?
Can the theories Poole sets forth be applied to other readings/films/entertainments in popular culture/history?
Does the reading trigger any additional speculation on your part about reactions to societal fears or cultural climates?
Are there any facets of Pooles text with which you do not agree? If so, why? Be specific.
What aspects of Pooles text were particularly fascinating to you?
Part 2: Open Inquiry. In addition, discussants will be responsible for developing questions that engender open-ended conversation for the class. In other words, questions should be directed for the class to answer in order to generate conversation. Questions that require a simple `yes` or `no` do not work in this case.
Q: Does the story about F. Scott Fitzgerald get the readers attention at the beginning of the book?
A: Yes.
Discussion over, right? Of course, this question can be refocused to promote more in depth conversations by leading the inquiry.
Q: Why does Poole start his Introduction with the story about F. Scott Fitzgerald?
A: So he can talk about Freaks.
Q: Well, he definitely gets that lead-in, but why is the anecdote necessary? Why not just summarize the movie for the reader?
A: I dunno. It gets the readers attention.
Q: Yeah, an anecdote about Fitzgerald doesnt seem as boring as a summary . . . is it important that the anecdote is about one of the most well-known authors of the time?
A: It could be. Well, the book is all about writers and stuff, right?
Q: Yes, it is! But even more specifically, Poole wants to connect the impact of fear on fiction and film, doesnt he?
A: Oh yeah! So using the anecdote of a famous writer affected by real life monsters reflects the argument he is going to make about larger social issues affecting the larger body of fiction.
Q: Thats a great point! Lets take another look at that passage . . .
And so on. This line of questioning leads to larger discussion that may have people agreeing or disagreeing, but the issue of why Poole begins the book with the anecdote about F. Scott Fitzgerald is open-ended and, therefore, is open to debate.
Obviously, some sections are shorter, so be sure to select a more dense section or multiple smaller sections to ensure that you have sufficient material to cover the 15 minute discussion. There should not be duplicate sections selected for a given chapter, so this is first come, first serve. If you are presenting on a given chapter, you may discuss the chapter as a whole, but your primary focus should be on the section . READ ONLY CHAPTER 5 OF THE BOOK(MONSTERS IN AMERICA) AND THE LENGTH IS AS MANY PAPERS AS YOU WANT BUT KEEP IN MIND I HAVE TO DISSCUSS FOR 13-15 MINUTES .