History of Christian Thought

1.      Read the selections the weekend before the week you are leading discussion. That way, if you have any questions about the material you have time to consult with professor.

2.      Take notes, underline passages that are meaningful to you; do your best to get a handle on the “argument” of the essay (if there is one) and/or the main points or questions the author is raising.

3.      Spend some time thinking about what is most interesting about the ideas raised in the reading and what might prompt a good discussion among your classmates.

4.      Consult with the other person who has signed up for that week and decide whether you want to work together or split up the reading, etc.

5.      Some ways to get the conversation started:

·         Share with your classmates what you found most interesting and/or ask them what they found most interesting.

·         Share with your classmates what you found most difficult or challenging about the essay – have the class try to make sense of it or help resolve the issue.

·         Focus on a passage that you found meaningful and have us take a closer look at the passage and unpack its meaning.

6.      Consider different modes of conversation and what you think will work best given the material and given how discussion has gone in recent weeks (look for ways to change things up, if needed). Break us into small groups; or pairs or triads. Consider the “fishbowl” option (where one group sits outside the circle and observes a smaller group’s discussion and then switch).

7.      Please feel free to come see me that week if you want to brainstorm together about will work for that Friday’s discussion session.

8.      Have fun with it! Remember the purpose here is to help foster discussion and not to show off or perform your understanding of the material.