STUDENT ROUNDTABLES

Students in groups will be responsible for leading one class discussion. The purpose of this exercise is to encourage student participation,improve verbal communication skills, and to facilitate class discussions. Participation in this exercise meets partial fulfullment of the course requirements. Failure to participate in this exercise will result in zero points and a heavy sigh of disappointment from your classmates. This penalty will be waived if the student demonstrates good cause. In order for the student to obtain points for this requirement, the instructor will set up a one-time meeting with all students who have missed this assignment.  Student who missed this assignment without good cause can participate in this make up meeting but five (5) points will be deducted from his/her grade.  

Quiz:  There will be a multiple choice quiz at the completion of the six group presentations (60 points).  The quiz is scheduled for April 19.

The basis for this assignment is the Mindich book.  Although the chapters in the book lay the foundation for each roundtable, you can bring in material from other sources to enhance your group's presentation.

Focus:  Why Have Young People Stopped Following the News and What to do About the Problem?

1.  How Tuned Out Are They?

2.  Talking With Young People I

3.  Talking with Young People II

4.   Television and the Internet

5.   The Decline of General News

6.   How to Tune Back In?

Format:

• Student Roundtables will provide the class with an overview and analysis of the important aspects of the issue.
  
• Each student member of the roundtable should address the class for approximately 4-5 minutes which will leave approximately 15-20 minutes for class discussion. 

Evaluation:

Students will be evaluated by the instructor using a five-point scale (1=poor, 5=excellent) as follows:

Sample Evaluation
Criteria	Points
Knowledge of the Subject	4.5
Clarity and Style of the Presentation	3.5
Organization	3.0
Analytical/Critical Thinking Skills	4.0
	15 out of 20 points

 Note:  If the students in a group feel that one of their members is not participating to the same extent as the other members, you may submit a brief memo to the instructor explaining the problem.  It must be signed by all other members of the group who are raising the issue.  The instructor will meet with the student in question.