PSCI 4002: Western European Politics (Honors)
Fall 2006
Presentation
Guidelines
Each student enrolled in
this honors section of PSCI 4002 will be asked to make a presentation on an
assigned reading/topic according to the schedule determined by signups at the
appropriate point in the semester. The
presentation is intended to give you practice in reading comprehension,
analysis, and public speaking. It
involves three components.
1)
A maximum two-page
written summary of each reading/topic.
This must be submitted
electronically to me in advance of the class meeting for posting on the
course webpage, and you must prepare eleven
hard copies for distribution in class.
The key here is to provide your colleagues with a concise statement of
the main arguments, evidence, and relevance of the assigned reading and a nice
overview of the topic. Be brief. You should also include at least a few
discussion questions at the end of your summary. For guidance, see the sample
presentation handout that I have used for other classes.
2)
A maximum 15-minute
presentation of the readings/topic as a whole (whether one or more than
one). The goal here is to provide a
verbal analysis of the reading/topic, based on your written summary but not reading from it.
3)
On the basis
of this summary, you should pose some discussion questions. Class discussion, led by you, will continue
for however long makes sense.
Your presentation will be
assessed along the following dimensions:
1)
Accuracy. Do your summary and presentation accurately
capture what the reading is trying to convey?
2)
Clarity. Do your summary and presentation clearly and
concisely articulate your key claims?
Are things logically organized?
3)
Presentation
Style. How well are you communicating
verbally? Reading from notes, speaking
down/at low volume/too quickly, disorganization, etc. all detract
from your presentation.
4)
Analytic
Strength. You are required to do more
than provide a standalone summary of the reading. The real challenge is to develop the topic of
the day and to integrate it into broader themes of interest to the class. How well do you tie the reading into these
themes, and/or draw out broader implications of the reading above and beyond
the barebones summary?
Appendix I
Student Presentation: Instructor
Evaluation Form
Name: Date:
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1. Written Summary |
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2. Oral Presentation |
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Pacing (5) |
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Volume/Enunciation/Demeanor
(5) |
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Comments: |
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