Oral Presentation Guidelines / Current Events Analysis: 15 Minutes
Proposal due: Class 8
Possible Ideas for Oral Presentation (PDF) (DOC)
The current events presentation fulfills the oral presentation requirement of a HASS-CI (Humanities and Social Sciences Communication Intensive) class. Students will work in pairs to research and present an interpretation of a current news article of their choice pertaining to the topic of a given week. Your task is to connect concepts in an assigned reading or readings for the week with an example from the news. This assignment requires critical close reading of your news item. Present your analysis in a dynamic way to the class, along with several follow-up questions. Pay attention to how the topic is presented as well as the content of the article in your analysis. It may be helpful to allocate 8–10 minutes to your talk and 5–7 minutes for discussion/questions.
START EARLY! I need to post your article to the class website at least three days before the presentation for students to read before class. Tips for topic/article selection: Consult the list for topic suggestions. You are not limited to these topics, but the list suggests possibilities.
- Be selective in choosing an article: Find one that is substantive but not overly long. Avoid tabloids, entertainment publications, and web sources lacking credibility. The New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal are good sources. Ask us if you have questions. Be sure that you (and your co-presenter) feel comfortable with your topic, especially for addressing student questions/discussion.
- Think contemporary: Try to select a piece written in the past year.
- Summarize and analyze: Make connections between the issue/event you have chosen and concepts/arguments from one or more readings for the week.
- Pose critical questions: Ideally, your presentation will lead into a discussion of your topic. Strongly suggested: screen-share some questions with the class.
- Preparation: By email, submit an outline/plan for your presentation a week before so that we can provide feedback.
- Post-Presentation Write-up: Email a joint self-evaluation (1 ½–2 pp.) one week after your presentation. Your analysis should include an overview of your presentation and an evaluation of its quality. Include handouts that you screen-shared or PowerPoint/Prezi or video files, if relevant. This can be a co-authored document. Letter grades will be based on the quality of the outline plan, presentation, and write-up.
