Thread by @ProfPaulPoast

Need discussion questions, perhaps for breakout @zoom_us sessions?

This thread has my favorite "Discussion Questions" from my >150 student #ChicagoIntroIR course.

I use these to break up my in-person lecture & encourage critical engagement w/ the ideas presented in lecture.

Every 15 to 20 minutes, I stop lecturing, put a question up on the screen, & ask the students to discuss w/ the folks around them.

After a few minutes, I take an in-class poll: "By show of hands, who all chose A? Chose B?..."

I then ask if anyone who, say, picked (a) would like to share why.

Key is that none of these questions have a right answer: there are ways to justify any of the responses.

So here are the slides, with the questions...

This one comes from when I lecture on Weber's definition of sovereignty

This one comes from when I lecture about the Security Dilemma

I use this one to get them thinking about agent-structure. I first have them answer the question and then take a poll. Next, I tell them, "Now, assume you are at the ballot box and the NATION IS AT WAR".

I use this one to get them to think about conflicting norms embodied in the UN Charter

When discussing how scholars classify wars

This question was aimed at getting them to think about "moral hazard" and how that can contribute to rebellions

To get states to think about the "compliance puzzle" (why states adhere to int law despite absence of world gov't)

When discussing Just War Theory and Article 51 of the UN Charter, I simply ask the class 👇

When lecturing on "key currency" and reserve currencies, I use this question to get students thinking about the inter-subjective foundation of money (i.e. its value is an article of faith)

Again, I find these to be a nice way of breaking up my lectures. Also, my TAs find them useful building blocs for discussion section.

Sine they work well in my in-person lecture, I thought those using "on-line learning" with @zoom_us could use them too!

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