Course Preparation Assignments: A Strategy for Creating Discussion-Based Courses

Author(s): David Yamane
Source: Teaching Sociology, Vol. 34, No. 3 (Jul., 2006), pp. 236-248
Published by: American Sociological Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20058490

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The article discusses the idea of Course Preparation Assignments, which prepare the students to have class discussions. The focus is on creating a discussion-based course (even for large classes) where the professor leads, facilitates, and coordinates discussions instead of always lecturing.

The author argues that the way to have a successful discussion-course is by having structured discussions. In order to do this students must have read and thought about course material prior to class. The author says that this can be done through course preparation assignments (CPA’s) in which students must read and then think about a specific chapter or section of the textbook and complete “a written response to a question or problem the assignment sets up” prior to class (pg. 238).

The CPA’s have the same structure: (1) an introductory statement, (2) an objective for the assignment, (3) some background information relevant to the topic (if appropriate or necessary), and (4) the writing assignment itself” (pg. 238). The author warns that CPA’s have to be based off of authentic questions and that their cannot be one right answer. You have to be prepared for a bit of uncertainty when doing this because discussions can lead many places which you may not have anticipated.

In class, the author suggests first having students work in small discussion groups before having the larger class discussion. The author requires students to bring copies of their CPA’s to class with them and grades them on credit/no credit basis.

EXAMPLE of Author’s CPA (pgs. 247-248)
Chapter 12 Course Preparation Assignment: Hypothesis on Racial Inequality in America
Introduction: Still an American Dilemma?

In 1944, Swedish sociologist Gunnar Myrdal published a landmark study of American race relations. He maintained that the
principles of equality at the heart of the U.S. Constitution clashed with the unequal treatment of African Americans which he observed historically and at the time he was writing. This, for Myrdal, was An American Dilemma (the title of his famous book).
While the position of African-Americans (and other racial minorities) has improved since then, inequalities remain. These inequalities are of great interest to sociologists.

Objective
To describe and analyze the causes of racial inequality in the contemporary United States.



Background
Consider the following data from the U.S. Census Bureau for 2001:
Median Family Income Percent of White Income
Whites $47,041 100
Blacks $29,939 64

Assignment
1. Read Chapter 12 of the textbook on racial inequality to familiarize yourself with its forms, causes, and consequences.
2. Generate at least five testable hypotheses you believe might account for the differences in income given above. In other words, the differences in income are your dependent variable. What are the independent variables? Note: Start with the hypotheses you think are most important or plausible; then go on to list rival hypotheses that you think are less important or less plausible and would therefore want to test and disprove as a sociologist. Remember: since you want to generate testable hypotheses, you need to be as specific as possible in formulating answers (pgs. 247-248).

This idea of a discussion-based course can be implemented in almost any discipline or even job-training arena which makes CPA’s a great technique to hone.