The course comprises twelve two-hour lectures and ten one-hour discussion times. There is no discussion hour in week one and week 12. The screen capture recordings of the lectures will be available via Canvas. The course coordinator will introduce concepts, information and context during the lectures and moderate discussions. The discussion hour will be student-centred.
Students must prepare for the lectures and discussion hours via independent research and reading.
The best way for students to prepare is by framing their reading and research to address the 'discussion questions' listed each week. Students should first familiarise themselves with these questions and, secondly, seek to answer them by engaging with the resources listed under each week and independent research. Students are expected to spend, on average, 10.5 hours per week each week.
The weekly resources available for students to prepare for the seminars are: 'Perusall essential resources,' 'recommended resources’, and ‘background resources’.
‘Perusall essential resources’ include two weekly readings. These can be peer-reviewed academic materials and or non-peer-reviewed materials, like reports. These readings are necessary for students to achieve the course’s aims and learning objectives. Students are also assessed on their engagement with these readings (see assessment section).
The ‘recommended resources’ complement the Perusall readings or represent the main readings in the weeks when there is no Perusall assignment. Recommended resources are also a combination of peer-reviewed academic materials and/or non-peer-reviewed materials, like reports, media articles, videos and podcasts. These resources are particularly useful to facilitate stimulating and informed discussion during the student-led part of the lectures and the discussion hour.
The ‘Perusall essential resources’ and the ‘recommended resources’ are available on Canvas in the Talis Reading list under each week's module. However, in completing the Perusall assignment, students must access the Perusall resources via the assignment links on Canvas. There are links in the assignment section and under the corresponding module.
‘Background resources’ include peer-reviewed academic material and non-peer-reviewed material. These help students gain additional valuable insights into the topic studied and the discussion questions. Students are encouraged to engage with some of these resources, proactively seeking answers to the discussion questions. The list of 'background resources' is available in the Course Manual.