Presentations
Note:
During the last week of classes, majors who are fulfilling their
senior exercise with this course will give a class presentation based
on their work. If time and the class size permit, we will try to schedule
the rest of the presentations during the last week of class as well.
Since these presentations substitute for a final exam, however, it is
appropriate for them to take place during final exam week. Also note
that majors fulfilling their senior exercise with this course are expected
to attend the presentation session for the other students in the class.
Format:
Prepare a 7-10 minute presentation (15-20
minutes for senior exercises) in which you address the items described
below (and others, if you wish). If possible, please address these items
in the order that follows. This should help you to organize your remarks;
it will definitely help us to follow them.
(1) State what you were trying to explore and why, how you went
about it, and what problems you encountered, if any.
(2) Summarize the discoveries or insights gained through your work on
your final project (including insights into the strengths and limitations
of your project and your own strengths and limitations, at present,
as a reader and writer).
(3) Discuss what you would do differently, if anything, if you were
to do this project again, what else you had hoped to do and did not
have time for, and what new ideas for further possible research or experimentation
occurred to you while working on this project.
- Outlines for Presentations: E-mail an outline of your
remarks to the rest of us at least 24 hours before the presentations
are to take place. The point of this part of the assignment is to
encourage you to give a well-organized presentation and to provide
us with a sneak preview of sorts, so that we might be thinking of
questions to ask you during the discussion session after your presentation.
- Discussion sessions: Presentations will be followed by
a brief discussion session. You will all be expected to have read
one another's outlines beforehand and to raise relevant questions
during the discussion sessions.
- Criteria for Evaluation: Presentations will be evaluated
on the basis of organization, coherence, coverage of the items mentioned
in (1), (2), and (3) above, your ability to observe time limits, and
your ability to field questions raised in class about your work.
- Some Pointers: PRACTICE your presentation. Time it carefully
beforehand so that you know you can meet the time limits without rushing.
If you're soft-spoken, you will need to make a conscious effort to
speak up. Since most of us tend to talk very fast, it's a good idea
to keep reminding yourself to slow down as you give your presentation.
Feel free to refer to your notes occasionally, but don't stay glued
to them. When you are talking about the problems or limitations that
you see in your work at present, don't put yourself down. Evaluating
one's own work is often difficult and requires skills that are well
worth cultivating. It shouldn't be confused with self-deprecation,
which is usually a defensive tactic, an unconscious habit, or both.
- In the discussion period after your presentation, listen carefully
to people's questions and responses and see if you can learn something
from them. If the group has no substantive questions, bring up one
of the questions that occurred to you when you were preparing your
presentation, one that you thought your peers might ask and that you
would like to talk about with them. Then, if they still fail to respond,
that's their problem, not yours. You will have done your part and
will have tried to help them do theirs.
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Although
the writing that you produce in a journal is not meant for the general
public, I do have to be able to read your entries with relative
ease, so don't simply abandon all concern for proper grammar, spelling,
and punctuation.