This assignment is designed to facilitate our group analysis of The Latino/a Midwest Reader and help strengthen your skills of historical reading, writing, and analysis.
Working in teams, you’ll be responsible for leading our discussions of a section of The Latino/a Midwest Reader. At least 24 hours before its assigned class session, each team will write a blog post analyzing critical themes in their choice of at least two of the chapters, coupled with a primary source (video, statistical data, music, images, interviews) that you think relates to the section. You’ll follow this with at least 5-10 discussion questions. They will then guide our seminar discussion. (Your peers will be responsible for reading just the specific chapters you choose.)
- Remote instruction update: you’ll decide on which 2 chapters and new primary source your team will present during our workshop on Friday, March 27. Prof Holt will upload them to Perusall, and then each team will be responsible for posting their 5-10 discussion questions, and facilitating the conversation thread there.
You have a lot of room for creativity in this assignment! What resources can you employ to engage your peers and lead them to a deeper understanding of the readings?
One place to start for more resources is the companion website (you can click through to see one set of suggestions for scholarly and primary sources related to your chosen section.)
Sign up for your team here on Moodle: (date has now passed for signups)
Student Teams
Group 1: Leading Discussion on Monday, April 6
- Book Section: Essential Laborers & Neighbors
- Team Members: Liam, Cesar, Kobe
Group 2: Leading Discussion on Wednesday, April 8
- Section: La educación adelanta
- Team Members: Tina, Katie, Alvaro
Group 3: Leading Discussion on Friday, April 10
- Section: Performeando the Midwest
- Team Members: Cat, Matt, Brendan
Upload your individual project memo to Moodle, describing your contributions to your team’s success no more than 24 hours after you lead class. You will be graded both on the quality of your work and how effectively you worked as a team. This assignment is worth 5% of your grade.
Project Memo Guidelines: You will each write a short project memo essay (1-2 pages) that addresses the following questions:
- How did you decide what to present? Why did you make these choices?
- What additional materials did you bring in to orient your classmates? How effective were they?
- How did your group work together? What contributions did you make to the success of your team?
The header for your memo should include your name, the date, and the name of your group.
Resources
“Guidelines for Leading Class Discussions” & “What Makes a Question Good”