STUDY CIRCLES
Study Circle Roles
Study Circle Roles are a way of dividing up the approach to a reading among members of a discussion group. Each group member chooses one (or two) of the following roles. The notes you take in preparing for the group discussion will be compiled in a Study Circle Portfolio.
ABSENCE READER: What is not there in the reading, but either implied or ignored by the author? What questions do these absences raise in your mind? What kinds of information or analysis are needed to address these questions?
ANALYST: What roles do fact, theory, and political advocacy play in the reading, and how would you account for these roles?
BORDER-CROSSER: Are there "strange" aspects of the reading that may relate to a historical or social context different from your own? What are these, in what ways are they strange, and how do you respond to the strangeness? Or, Are there very familiar aspects that speak to something in your experience?
CLARIFIER: What terms or concepts does your group need to understand? Find definitions and facts that will help the group grasp the article.
DIALOGUE DIRECTOR: What is shocking or controversial in this reading? What questions would you raise to open a dialogue among different points of view? Why do these questions matter?
ILLUSTRATOR: Find or create visuals (artwork, photos, graphs, icons) that illustrate the reading. Your job will be to draw the other group members into the process of interpreting the visuals in relationship to the topic you’re studying.
IMPRESSIONIST: What in the reading is particularly striking—tone? word choice? method of argument? approach to the topic?
INVESTIGATOR: Dig up some background information—anything that will help the group to understand the reading better. Find something that really interests you, something that struck you as curious or puzzling as you read.
LINK-MAKER: What does this reading bring to mind—in other readings or in the world as you know it--by way of comparison or contrast? What do these different materials suggest about one another?
MAPPER: What places does the reading talk about? Get or draw a map; locate the events in the world; provide some description of what this place is like and how it is connected to other places.
PASSAGE MAVEN: Choose a few special sections of the reading to which the group should return; help people in your group pay attention to the most interesting or puzzling or important sections of the text. In discussion, read the passage, or find another way to call the group’s attention to it.
PROFESSIONAL APPLICATION EXPERT: How does this reading apply to your own major field of study? What problems or new insights arise in the application?
SYNTHESIZER: What are the writer's key points? What is the central argument, and how is it supported? Are there parts of the article that are difficult to place within the overall argument or seem to contradict it? How would you connect those points with the author's central position?
A Challenge: What's missing here? Invent your own Study Circle Role!
Study Circle Portfolio for Global Feminisms
Due September 25
The Study Circle Portfolio is a compilation of your notes on readings from Global Feminisms Since 1945, with an added 2-3 page introduction.
The portfolio should have notes on five chapters: two chapters in Part I, II, or III; two chapters from Part IV; and any other chapter of your choice.
Your notes should show that you've experimented with a variety of roles. They should identify which roles you chose, be clear and readable (whether handwritten or typed), and give a good indication of how you contributed to the discussion.
In your introduction, rather than trying to summarize the portfolio as a whole, aim to convey your own learning from the readings and discussion. Some questions to consider: What was "news" to you in the reading? How does that news fit (or not fit) with your prior knowledge? What did your group's discussion add to your learning? What new questions do you have?