Comedy

Report

Depending on class size, students will work alone or in pairs/groups to prepare and deliver a 10-minute in-class report on one day’s reading or film. This report should include research, drawing on materials from print and online sources and presenting a Works Cited list (MLA format), on a handout or slides to be shared with the class and submitted for a grade (250 words). It should 1) present brief, salient context, 2) consider a passage from the reading, and 3) raise questions for further thought and analysis. You will be graded on content, delivery, and ability to generate class discussion.

1. Research your topic, consulting a balance of reference and scholarly sources (articles and books) drawing on the resources offered in the research workshop and in the class library guide.
2. Select salient points and materials: facts and information about an author, director, or performer; central ideas; passage(s) or film clips in the work under discussion that you find striking for whatever reasons.
3. Prepare a handout or slides for the class (250 words), presenting your materials in an organized, concise format. You may include images or other visual materials if they fit and are appropriate. Give your talk a title.
4. Include discussion questions for the class. Make sure these are questions the class can actually answer, given how little they may know about your topic. So, “why does Shakespeare use clowns?” may be impossible to answer and hard to discuss. “How does Shakespeare’s use of clowning in this scene shape our reading of a theme or character in the play?” might work better, if you have supplied enough information to allow students to speculate on that topic.
5. Provide a brief Works Cited in correct MLA format at the end of your handout. Include the work under discussion and sources you have actually cited in your talk. Other sources might go in a “Works Consulted” list. Be sure to include citations to your sources in parentheses on the handout.
6. Practice delivering your talk so that you’re sure you can make your points in under ten minutes, can address the class directly without reading from and repeating handout/slide materials, and can hit the high points clearly and concisely.
7. You will be graded on the effectiveness of your handout and oral delivery and on the usefulness of your report for engendering discussion and understanding of the reading for that day.