The goal of this assignment is to give you the opportunity to delve deeply into one text or group of texts and to share your insights with your classmates.  These presentations may also form the foundation for your end-of-semester research project.

 

An Overview of the Assignment:

• Each member of the class will make a 20-minute presentation related to a text or group of texts on the syllabus. 
• These presentations will require some research on the author and the text(s) on which you are presenting.  You will need to consult a minimum of two scholarly journal articles.  You should cite these, and any additional sources you might consult, in MLA Style on a works cited page that you will submit to me at the time of your presentation. 
• Each presenter will also provide a hand-out that includes the main points of his/her presentation for each member of the class and the instructor. 
• After the formal presentation, the presenter will then jump-start that day’s class discussion.
• Presentation topics will be assigned, you will sign up for these presentations in advance, and the basic requirements for the presentations will be uniform. 
• In total, this presentation will make up 15% of your course grade.  In order to arrive at your presentation grade, I will evaluate the effectiveness of your presentation handout (5%), the effectiveness of your oral presentation and correctness of your citations on your works cited page (5%), and the effectiveness of your attempt to facilitate discussion after your presentation (5%). 

 

The Presentation Handout Submitted to the Class and Dr. Krouse Should Include:

v      Basic information about the author, including, but not necessarily limited to, the following: 

·         Years of birth/death

·         Basic timeline of the author’s life, including important information like hometown(s), marital/relationship status, connections to other authors of the period, etc.

·         An overview of the critical response to the author’s work and the place of this author in the broader literary canon.

·         A list of central texts written by the author, with dates of first publication.

v      An overview of the reading assignment on which you are presenting, including, but not necessarily limited to, the following:

·         Names of characters (if these are available)

·         Summary of what happens in the text

·         An overview of important stylistic features of the text

·         A sample of critical responses to the text

 

v     A list of themes (a minimum of three) that appear in the text.

Presenters are responsible for providing a copy of the handout for each class member.  If you get the handout to me a minimum of 24 hours prior to your presentation, I will make the copies for you. 

 

Presentations cannot be rescheduled or made up.  If you miss class on the day of your scheduled presentation for any reason, you may still submit your handout to the class and to me and your works cited page to me so that you will not receive a zero on the assignment.

 

The Oral Component of the Presentation Should Include:

Part I:

v     Background on the author, which might include biographical information, information about other texts by that author that we are not reading, etc.  While some of what you present will appear on your handout, I expect you to go into a bit more depth in the presentation.  (5 minutes)

 

Part II:

v     Answer the question: What are the stylistic features of the text that we are reading today and how do these relate to the content of the text?  (2-5 minutes)

 

Part III:

v     Choose a pivotal moment in the text and perform a close reading of it, exploring its significance in relation to one or more of the following  (5-8 minutes):

·        The text as a whole.

·        Critical approaches to modernism.

·        The historical period in which the text is produced.

·        A theme or tendency that you believe is central in the text and/or the Modernist period.

 

Presentations should be a maximum of 20 minutes long.  At 20 minutes, I will stop you.  Be sure to practice and time your presentation.

 

The Discussion-Lead Portion of the Presentation Should:

 

v     Facilitate discussion through the use of questions, an activity, or any other means that you deem appropriate to engage all of the members of the class in the discussion of the material.  You will not be entirely responsible for generating participation in the day’s class, but I will evaluate your ability to transition from your presentation into class discussion and your ability to inspire your classmates to participate.

 

The Works Cited Page Submitted to Dr. Krouse Should:

v     Conform to the rules of MLA Style for the citation of sources.

v     Include a minimum of two scholarly journal articles as sources.

Cite each source that you consult in preparation for your presentation, including online sources, books, articles, etc.