PRESENTATIONS
The purpose of presentations is to enable you to take one aspect of the course that you find insightful, bewildering, curious or otherwise worth investigating, and to develop your own interpretation. You will verbally present your findings to the class in a clear, cogent, and concise presentation within the time allotted. Speaking to the class will build your critical thinking skills and help you to prepare for follow-up written work and continued in-class work. Below is a sampling of different kinds of presentations you may be asked to do, along with directions and rubric.
Individual Presentations
Individual presentations may take multiple forms.
Close reading: You may be asked to prepare a close reading of a key passage of the text we are discussion and to present your interpretation during class
Article Presentation: below are sample guidelines for article presentations. Your syllabus will include the exact prompt for this requirement
Sample 1
Readings and Teaching Presentation: I have picked mostly short readings to supplement our work. Each of you will pick one essay to present/teach. For this presentation, you should examine:
- the author’s personal and critical perspectives
- what are the major points listed by the author?
- what is the primary question of the essay you’ve chosen?
- discuss the rhetorical stance of the essay
- what is the import of this essay in relation to your project?
Sample 2
You will choose an article which you will present to the class on the assigned day. You must read your essay and the text to which it correlates well in advance. A week before your scheduled presentation, you will meet with me to discuss how you will use key points from the essay to lead class discussion. You should plan to give to your classmates two discussion points/questions at least one class period in advance of your presentation so they have time to prepare. In the event that you have not met with me, you will not be allowed to continue with your presentation and will fail the assignment. During your presentation, do not merely summarize the article; instead, use the time to set up a dialogue between the primary text, the essay we will all read and your essay. You will have fifteen minutes of class presentation time, which you may not exceed. You will turn in a short reflective paper (2-3pp.) during the next class period.
Partner or Group Presentations
Sample 1
Discussion Overview and Questions on Critical Theory Pieces: You will partner with one other person and will be assigned one of the critical essays we will be reading through the course of the semester. For this assignment, you are asked to read carefully the assigned piece and to research any ideas with which you are not familiar in that essay. You should also be able to talk about the author of that piece. You should plan to write at least three, but no more than five discussion questions around that work and the concepts therein, and lead class discussion that day. You will have 15-20 minutes of class time for your presentation and you may not go over that time, so practice, practice, practice! Each group should also plan to meet with me at least once before their presentation.
During your presentation, you should plan to cover the following:
- Present the article
- Explain the major points made by the author
- Link the points/arguments presented to any of the fictional pieces we are covering or to real-world events. Be creative in how you present some dense theoretical ideas
- Critique the article, what is the weak point, where does the argument go wrong, etc.
- You should be able to take a stand on the issue in question – be able to defend it.
You will also fill out evaluation sheets for each member of your group, which will be used to determine each member’s grade; hopefully, this will help ameliorate the issue of non-participation in the group.
Sample 2
Partner Presentations:
The primary aim of student presentations for discussion sections is to launch an engaging and fruitful discussion, not to summarize or lead the discussion.
Guidelines:
1. Time 5-7 minutes.
2. Content. Raise one or two critical questions for discussion for the text you have been assigned. You should observe the following points: a) Why is the point/idea you have chosen for discussion important for understanding the significance of the work(s) in question? b) If this point is related to other issues related to the reading, then how are they related? c) What questions do you have? D) Lead in a close reading of a key passage that you feel best illustrates the theme you have picked. These reflections should help to launch the discussion. They might suggest disagreement with the author, lack of clarity (either on the part of the reader or the author), or some internal inconsistency in the author's ideas (apparent or real).
You should ask about points that are unclear to you. The presentation is not a test of your mastery of the material, and there will be many other students who do not understand parts of the reading.
3. Handout. Prepare a one-page handout for your presentation and make enough copies for everyone in your discussion section. Your handout should contain: 1) The one question you wish to discuss and 2) one to three appropriate quotations from the readings for that week that help the class examine your question/issue. You need not quote long paragraphs; it is sufficient just to quote 2-3 relevant sentences.
4. Style. Be sure to speak clearly and slowly enough so that everyone can understand. Take the time to explain your points fully. References to specific textual passages and page numbers are essential to ground the discussion. Illustrations and analogies can also be helpful in conveying your ideas. Diagrams can also be effective aids although they are not required. You may remain seated, stand, or use the chalk board for your presentation.
5. Grading. The presentation is usually 10 percent of your grade. Your presentation will be graded on three areas: 1) Insight. Have you chosen good passages or ideas to help the class examine and understand the readings? Do you raise a question/issue that leads to fruitful discussion. 2) Preparation. Does your presentation show that you have considered the readings and the points you present carefully? 3) Style. Do you speak clearly, explain fully, and provide textual references? Do you make eye contact to make sure that the class is following what you are saying.
Discussant
The purpose of this assignment is to help you to listen and develop a critical response to class discussion. You will sign up for a class period during which you will take notes in lieu of verbal participation. Following that, you will pore over the notes and sketch the primary themes and goals for the class that day and prepare a brief lecture (approximately five minutes) as well as an outline prepared as a handout for the class. Please do not merely chronicle the class activities and discussions; rather, use your notes to push us along into the next set of readings. You should include one or two questions that tie readings together. We will then use those comments to set the framework for discussion that day.
Resources and rubric
Duke University's Oral Presentation Guide
Group Work Evaluation Rubric
Sample Presentation Handout