The Theory Forum: Teaching Social Theory through Interactive Practice

Common concerns in required theory courses are student disengagement when encountering difficult texts and hesitation to engage in theorizing. To address these challenges, we have developed an interactive exercise, which we call the theory forum. Students work in groups to develop questions from the perspective(s) of one or more theorists, and over two class sessions, the groups ask and respond to these questions. Here we outline procedures for conducting the theory forum, assess students' experience of the exercise, and consider its adaptability in a variety of contexts.