Memphis State University's Dean Hammer (political science) and David Crowe (English) suggest that students set up a dialogue between two thinkers to foster critical thought and get away from the standard term paper format. The exercise should follow these guidelines:
The Guidelines
- Thinkers should be contemporaries so they can address the same cultural issues from different perspectives
- Conversation should be a mutual exchange of ideas that shows critical differences between the thinkers, but neither thinker should win the argument
- Writing should have a style and tone that reflects the language used by the thinkers
- Students should keep an "underbook" (2-3 pages) to document their sources and explain why certain words and ideas are given to each thinker
The Potential Benefits
This exercise is useful because it
- Encourages experimentation and creativity
- Allows students to express their understanding of each thinker's position via the underbook
- Helps demystify ideas that might otherwise seem abstract and theoretical
For more information on this term paper format, see Hammer, Dean C. "Giving Flesh to Ideas: Constructing a Cultural Dialogue." PS: Political Science and Politics. 27.2 (June 1994): 259-61.