Joe's email for tuesdays class

I have pasted in the email we recieved from Joe about class on Tuesday. I will be posting my response and discussion outline based on his initial plan. Due to its length i am just going to make a whole new post. ****Please do not overlook my first post below, thanks - Haiz.

Dear Wataugans,
Thank you for a very good discussion today. I believe that the plan I
created is better for our discussion -- which, to me, is the fun of
collaboration.

Here is a synopsis of what we will do on Tuesday 9/5:

We will begin by meeting in the GH. I will introduce Levitt and
Dubner, focusing on the "assumptions" the authors's make about humans
as rational actors, responding to incentives. I will problematize this
notion, introducing one or more counterexamples (e.g., the "Vikings" of
Greenland from Diamond's COLLAPSE). I will also say a few words about
the Levitt/Dubner methodology. This should take 15 minutes.

We will then dismiss into groups. In the groups, TAs will begin by
establishing discussion ground rules if need be, or by discussing the
rationale/objective for having such groups. Following this, TAs will
engage the students in a discussion of the FREAKONOMICS methodology --
specifically, how Dubner/Levitt apply their assumptions and research
techniques to chapter one. After this, TAs will engage the students in
an extended "social science exercise" in which the students will form
an interesting question regarding human behavior in the LLC and gather
some evidence. I offered several possibilities for this exercise in
the meeting, suggesting that TAs may wish to develop a question and
then have the students fill out questionnaires that they or the
students design -- brief, very impromptu questionnaires. Students will
then be invited to interpret the data they receive in smaller groups,
presenting a hypothesis regarding "incentives." This is of course one
suggestion; I invite TAs to offer their ideas on this email listserv,
an invitation that I believe Haiz will accept shortly.

At the end of the activity, TAs will bring closure by making reference
to the worldview of Levitt/Dubner -- rational actors responding to
incentives by maximizing their benefits -- contrasting this worldview
with that of Diamond who favors environmental causation, broadly
speaking. In a word, Humans vs. Nature. TAs will then assign the
response paper question (two pages typed, two copies, PLEASE have the
students put the names of their "link" professors at the top), which
will be: "Using the assigned readings, describe the worldviews of
Diamond and Levitt and Dubner. How are these worldviews dichotomous,
and which view do you find more persuasive and why?" If anyone else
has any ideas, or suggestions, please email the group.

At our next meeting, on Friday next, we will discuss how we will spend
the week of T, 9/12 and Thur, 9/14. It may be that we will continue
with the "smoking project," or we may do something else.

One more thing: Please use this email list for questions, concerns,
issues, and problems. We should all be involved in a constant
conversation about teaching this term -- email is a great way to do
this -- and this will help us address issues before our Friday
meetings.

Have good weekends,

Joe