Review Strategies
Start with the syllabus
- pay attention to what it tells you about the themes and goals of the course
- read the Course description and course structure
- make a list of all of texts/materials that we have consulted in the course by author name & title if written, title and director if film, and title & artist of key visuals that we saw and discussed in tutorial (materials include books, articles in the course kit, films, visuals)
- look carefully at the section topics
- how do the course materials in that section relate to the topic?
- what is the thesis being created by these section topics?
Then the lectures
For each one consider:
- what are the section topics?
- what is the thesis?
- what are the main themes?
- which points and terms are stressed in this lecture?
- which points & terms are repeated in other lectures?
- how are these lectures and the course materials they illuminate connected?
The tutorials
(remember that tutorial discussions synthesized the themes, issues & materials, and used the lectures as texts)
- what points and themes are stressed in tutorial?
- how are you asked to approach the materials in discussions?
- what kinds of questions and critical analysis methods are you expected to know/use?
- what are the specific issues that your tutorial has discussed?
- what points & terms are stressed in your tutorials?
At this point you should have, among your review notes, a list of the major themes/issues of the course, as well as a list of the main terms and methods/techniques that we have discussed.
Course texts/materials (refer to the list you made from the syllabus)
- familiarize yourself with the names of the authors & titles
- what are the names of main characters and their roles in the text?
- what are the main thesis and themes in each text?
- what are the terms/methods/techniques in each and how do they function?
Now go back to the study notes that you made about the syllabus, the lectures, and the tutorials, and consider how the course materials are interrelated.
- how have each of the texts/materials been discussed?
- are there texts that articulate similar themes?
- are there texts that employ similar terms/methods/techniques?
- are there texts which articulate alternative themes to those articulated by the group above?
- which texts could best be used to illustrate each of the main themes, points, terms, and methods/techniques stressed in this course?
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