In-Class Collaborative Book Reviews for Punished, The Tender Cut, and Hunger: Used in Juvenile Delinquency and Deviant Behavior

This resource was originally published in TRAILS, which is an online database of peer-reviewed teaching resources supported by the American Sociological Association.

Tying an assignment to course reading encourages reading compliance. However, more assignments lead to more time needed for grading. Group projects are often used to reduce grading volume. Students often resist group projects because they have trouble finding time outside of class to do group work. In this teaching artifact, I describe using in-class collaborative book reviews to address these three issues. By having students complete their collaborative book reviews during class time, they have time to complete the assignment as a group, while reducing the grading burden on the instructor. Further, because the instructor is present, they can observe group dynamics (who is doing the work and who is not) and answer questions when they arise. Students are able to complete their assignment without spending additional time outside of class meeting with their group and are able to incorporate instructor feedback immediately because they are working near the instructor. This teaching artifact describes the collaborative book review as used in Juvenile Delinquency and Deviant Behavior.