At the beginning of the semester, students are divided into small groups. For example, a large portion of the course is devoted to peer review workshops. Students read The New York Times regularly, as well as provide the basis for group discussion and essay topics for both courses. Students individually write a series of short papers in which they either apply concepts learned in class or draw on personal experience. Groups meet to critique each other's rough drafts, and to offer suggestions for improvement.
Students then work on a first revision which is again subject to discussion in their small groups.
Only after extensive peer review and revision is a final draft ready to be graded. Groups also complete a final group policy project and submit a joint portfolio compiled from newspaper articles and one page analyses. Students collect the articles individually but are encouraged to discuss and analyze them in their groups. Students also have opportunities throughout the course to take field trips and observe first hand the physical manifestations of the topics covered in class. The collaborative and active components of this integrated course are designed to enhance student learning.