Suggestions for Discussion Questions

For tomorrow, please write three sample discussion questions that pertain to the introduction you have read by Giles Gunn.  Think about these issues as you write:

These questions should accomplish three goals.  First, they should be specific enough to indicate that you have read the literature for the week.  Second, they should be a true reflection of topics that you would find interesting to have the class discuss.  Third, they should represent questions that you honestly have about the author or the literature.  That is, whenever possible, you should ask questions to which you really want to find or hear the answers.

Effective questions will

·         Stimulate conversation.

·         Focus on something specific.

·         Be understood easily by everyone (craft them well!).

·         Solicit answers beyond yes or no, or answers that can be easily answered by looking back to the text.  (That is, ask open-ended questions that provoke thought and/or a personal response or interpretation.)

·         Excite, interest, challenge your fellow students

If you are struggling to write questions you can:

·         Ask about a passage that confused or challenged you.

·         Ask about the motivations of particular characters.

·         Ask why the author made the choices he or she did (about plot, dialogue, imagery, metaphor, symbols, organization, genre, characterization).

·         Ask about the effectiveness of the author’s choices.

·         Ask about the themes or settings in the text.

·         Ask about how particular events or descriptions might signal the worldview of the author or the characters.

·         Ask about passages or themes you found uncomfortable or shocking.

(Not all of these suggestions pertain to a critical introduction--but you get the general picture!)