This qualitative study focuses on a combined Lecture/Workshop model for Organic Chemistry instruction. The Workshop is viewed as a site of cultural production and reproduction in which Organic Chemistry is the currency of capital exchange. Specific structures within the Workshop diminish the typical hierarchy associated with science classrooms while increasing student agency. Concepts introduced in lectures are discussed within small interactive sub-groups, with novel, often ambiguous and challenging problems providing the impetus for deep discussion. Students who have already completed the course provide �gentle� guidance during this discussion phase. Self-appointed representatives of each group then explain their solutions to the class, whose members are free to agree or disagree with the explanations given. All students are encouraged to voice their opinions, propose alternatives, and collectively apply their conceptual understanding toward determining whether the proposed solution is accurate and acceptable while continually using the language and syntax specific to the subject. Data gathered from videotape of Workshop activities, student interviews and course evaluations suggest that both components of the Workshops bolster critical thinking skills among students and, together, set the stage for an iterative cycle of increased engagement and self-confidence in Organic Chemistry. Students report that they are able to apply critical thinking skills developed during this course toward subsequent college work, that they have an easier time on other class exams and on high-stakes standardized tests, and that they have a greater sense of community in college as a result of their involvement in this combined Lecture/Workshop model.