What to look for in the readings and how to contribute to the discussions.

Read papers with a critical eye for science. Questions to ask yourself include -- is it clear what the purpose of the study is? Are the methods appropriate? Are the analyses clear and appropriate? Have the authors interpreted the results correctly? What was really mind-expanding in this paper?

The review papers are hard to be critical of because they do not present new results, they synthesize the work of others.

In this kind of class, learning is a social process. Each of us has a unique lens of interests and experience through which we read the papers and ponder their implications. We want to know how the concepts or methods advanced in the readings are relevant to your perspective.

Do not feel compelled to speak for the sake of speaking. It is better to listen and learn than to make shallow or irrelevant comment. If you are thinking "Uh-oh, I have not said anything today, I better chime in on something ...." it is probably better to keep quiet.

Challenge each other. This is how science works. Civil disagreement is the process by which we clarify our perspectives. Nearly always, disagreement is caused by poor communication rather than bad science.