Usually one article for discussion and one background article (or reading assignment from the course text) will be assigned for each discussion session. The article is to mesh closely with and extend concepts presented in a course lecture given prior to the discussion group meeting. The discussion groups will be run in a modified journal club style format. Each discussion group should have ten or fewer students in it. Each discussion group meets in its own room with one faculty member (or graduate student or post doc) present who is responsible for monitoring and facilitating the discussion (not leading the discussion or lecturing).

Please check the Discussion Roster on the core course web site to determine which discussion group you are in.  The membership of each group will be changed periodically during the semester so that you will be able to meet with a different mixture of students.  Note that the groups are assigned by the room in which your discussion group will meet.  To prepare for the discussions, read the paper(s) assigned.  The students in each group should then meet prior to the discussion to divide up presentation responsibilities, i.e. go over the questions that each student will be responsible for addressing during the scheduled discussion meeting.  For example, 1 or 2 students prepare for and present relevant background material and rationale, another 1-3 students cover and present methods and results.  The remaining students address concepts in the discussion portion of the paper and questions handed out with the discussion paper.  All students, however, are responsible for reading and trying to understand the entire paper.  The faculty member’s goal is to make sure accurate information is presented, concepts are clear, all important concepts are covered, students are integrating the results across figures and the discussion ends with all actively engaging in a discussion of the paper (this may require the faculty member to ask questions of different individuals).  The faculty members involved with the discussion meet once prior to their discussion group to make sure that they are consistent with each other on what will be covered.

Exam questions may be based on discussion articles.  The discussion articles support important concepts covered in lectures and thus, understanding the papers may also help in answering other exam questions.