8 Minute Solo Oral Presentation

8 Minute Solo Oral Presentation and 5 Page Solo Term Paper – Combined Assignment

Oral Presentation: 10% of final grade

Term Paper:  20% of final grade

 

This sheet will talk you through the Oral Presentation accompanying your Term Paper.

 

Oral Presentation:

Your oral presentation differs from your mini-report only by its length and by your having to deliver it alone.  Consider the 8 minute length a guideline.  You may go a little shorter (but no less than 7 minutes), or a little longer (but no more than 10 minutes).  Be sure to practice ahead of time, knowing that some of us talk faster in front of an audience, and some of us slow down with lots of ums and ahs.  You may stop to drink water, coffee, soda, as needed to gather thoughts, quench dry mouth, etc. 

 

If you get nervous, know everyone else will feel nervous, too.  Your best defense against freezing up will be preparation and a good set of notes.  You should use note cards, an outline, etc. 

 

Possibilities for this report include any of the following:

         Information about the social, intellectual, and historical contexts for the works and authors assigned in class; interpretation of works

         Introduction to authors ( not  a biographical sketch)

         Discussion of one or more critical works relating to the era

         Background about the social and intellectual connections among certain groups of authors

Note that these are broad topics; you must tailor the topic you choose to fit your own interest and the time available.  Do not use encyclopedias and easy internet searches.  Use Lone Star College-CyFair’s library resources to find books, scholarly articles, etc.  It’s obvious when students have only gotten as far as Wikipedia or the first ten hits in Google. 

Please include a handout like the one you include with your mini-report for your classmates.  Again, there are roughly 26 of us.

You’re more than welcome to create and use PowerPoint files and brief, embedded video clips.