Think Tank
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This assignment asks students to work as researchers for a think tank. It first requires students to perform research on a topic that is assigned to them and write an individual research paper. Then, once the individual papers are submitted, students are allotted into their respective “think tanks” (group of students working on the same text) where they are asked to create an academic poster translating the insights of their assigned texts into a poster. The idea is to exceed a strictly academic frame and create something that is accessible for a larger and non-expert audience(s). The final part of the sequence will see the think tanks compete “against” each other in a round of final presentations. The skills that students learn are argument precision, group work, “translation,” public speaking, pitching and writing in a different format than an academic essay. The “think tank” format of the task also emphasizes collegiality and compromise.