Suggested Text for Advanced Courses The author recently used asingle issue of a research journal as a text for aseniorlgraduate level "Recent Developments" course and commends this practice for several reasons: 1)the articles taken as a group generally represent the most active research areas of the time, 2) the articles require most students to review background information in order to understand the results obtained and the significance of the work, 3) most issues will have several articles an one particular topic and thereby offer different points of view and different results on the same issues, 4) the articles can be compared with regard to the experimental approaches used, the amount of theory and mathematical background included, the extent to which statistical and computational techniques were used, and the nature of the laboratory where the work was done (industrial, governmental, or academic), and 5) the very reasonable cost to the student if, in fact, he is not already a subscriber. This approach is certainly one practical way of using literature without violating copyright laws while supporting the publisher of the research journal used. Class discussions further expose the students to other points of view, especially in a heterogeneousclass consisting of those employed in industrial or governmental laboratories as well as thaw who may not yet have worked as a chemist. A mixture of different ages, academic backgrounds and chemical specialization also enriches the discussion. Although a single issue could be used like a conventional text, in this ease the class was organized as follows: Each of the 14 members of the class selected at least four articles which he would he willing to present and the instructor made the final assignments. Each member then presented and defended two papers during the Bemester but all members were expected to contribute to the discussion. Some papers required only 15 minutes while others took over an hour for analysis and discussion. A topic chosen and presented hy the instructor was used for the first three or four weeks to allow time for the organization of this part of the course and preparation by the students for their presentations. The only disadvantages of this approach are the difficulty of evaluating participation in discussion, the time required to obtain the background necessary for some topics, and the lack of coherence and depth caused by the diversity of topics. The real advantages include exposure to a cross section of current work, insight into critical analysis of the literature, practice in oral presentation and defense, and reinforcement of the practice of reading the current literature. University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky 40208
S.L. Cooke. Jr.
Volume 55, Number 4, April 1978 / 247
