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Impressionist Themes Group Presentation

Your group topics from the Herbert textbook and group members are listed below. See the schedule for current dates of presentation for each group. Be sure to contact your group members right away and to meet often!

See full details below for how to complete the assignment.

Group I
Chapter 3 Cafe and Cafe-Concert: Mike and Chastity

Group II
Chapter 4 Theatre, Opera, and Dance: Jillian, Avery, and Nana

Group III
Chapter 5 Parks, Racetracks, and Gardens: Ariel

Group Iv
Chapter 6 Suburban Leisure: Sam, Aisha, and Abigail

Group V
Chapter 7 At the Seaside: read this chapter individually

You should get together with your group right away to discuss your ideas for your presentation. Then by the date on the schedule write up and turn in to me a one-page outline for your topic, detailing how you will creatively present the material during your presentation (including what types of media you’ll be using). Once you've outlined your topic, you should work together as a group over the next few weeks to conduct research and prepare your presentation.  

How to complete the assignment

Using thorough research and creative presentation methods, you should develop a project that raises our awareness of your chosen topic.

Research

Before your presentation, you should read your corresponding book chapter even more thoroughly than usual so that you may present your entire chapter with confidence. Then together as a group, you and your presentation partners will prepare a typed, single-spaced, 1-page handout for your classmates that includes a brief introduction to the reading and a few questions that you would then like the class to discuss in response to the presentation's material. During your 45-minute presentation and the ensuing 20-minute class discussion, you should combine all of the following:

1) Briefly summarize the author's main points (1-2 paragraphs on handout)
2) Praise at least two points AND critique at least two points from the reading (on handout only)
3) Compare the text to other readings & artworks we have studied
4) Incorporate interesting, informative visual aids into your lecture
5) Pose provocative questions for discussion based on the readings (on handout)

Presentation

For your presentation format, I encourage you to be creative and organized. Use various media to create a learning environment that conveys and supports your chapter's findings. You should plan to project high quality slides (PowerPoint or photographic) and possibly also include copies of key images on your handouts. You might also choose to read relevant poetry or prose if it relates to your topic, or display graphs, play music/TV/film clips, etc. Be sure to stay within your time limit, though, and let me know well in advance what equipment you need for your presentation (slide projector, laptop projection, CD/cassette player, VCR, DVD, etc.) so I can order it from Media Services in time for you.

You will need to present the following to cover your chapter well:

1) Introduction to the chapter's main themes & points (short--just 5 minutes or so)
2) Social context, as detailed in the chapter (10 minutes or so)
3) Visual analysis of a few (or more) key works discussed in the chapter (longer--25 min or so)
4) Conclusion (this is just a quick wrap up--maybe half as long as the Intro--to lead into Q&A)
5) Q&A discussion (20 minutes)

Groups will present during the class periods identified on the schedule. Each group will have 45 minutes for their formal presentation, with 20 minutes of questions & discussion--both the group's questions and any additional questions--afterward. Some important points about procedure:

You may elect to research & present all of your material together as a group or to present separately as "panelists," but be careful to balance everyone's presentation time. That is, all group members should participate equally, especially during the Q&A discussion.

Play to your group members' strengths as you delegate duties evenly. If you're presenting "together" then you'll all be working together evenly anyway. If you choose the "panelists" approach, are some of your group highly skilled at visual analysis? You might want those members to lead the presentation of the visual images. Are other members skilled at asking incisive, probing questions? You might want that person to develop the questions for discussion. Good at summing up? Might be a good choice for the Intro & Conclusion portions...

Be sure to practice your presentation TOGETHER in advance at least twice so that you stay within your 45-minute time limit and so that you know your presentation thoroughly--well before your get up in front of the class! You don't want surprises in the middle of the presentation, let alone remarks like "who wrote this asinine question for our discussion section?" while you're actually reading the question aloud for the first time.

 

Grading

Groups will be graded on the following criteria:

1)      Thoroughness of research of your selected chapter

2)      Creativity of the presentation and support materials

3)      Organization, timing, and clarity of the presentation

4)      Quality of the handout's clarity & organization

5)      Collaboration and teamwork

Additionally, your classmates will be asked to answer the following questions as a required part of their participation grade:

1)      Did the presentation help you to clarify, comprehend, or better apply important concepts, issues, or approaches relevant to this course? Give examples.

2)      Did the presentation help you to make connections among the course materials and/or between this course and the world beyond the classroom?

3)      Did it raise issues or ideas you had not considered or explored much before?

4)      Did it help you to engage with our curriculum and/or with other people in the class in a new way or to a significant degree?

5)      What was the most interesting or helpful part of the presentation?

6)      What could have made the presentation more effective?

7)      Based on the above questions and the goals articulated in the "How to complete the assignment" section, what letter grade does the presentation deserve?

And finally, to be fair to all group participants, your own self-, peer-, and group evaluations will contribute to grades. Each member of the group will write a brief follow-up report in response to the questions below. All reports should be word-processed (see "course policies" section of your syllabus) and are due in class on the class meeting after your presentation. Each group member should comment on the following:

       Self-Evaluation

1)     Your role in the preparation of the presentation, such as specific tasks you completed, and your role in group dynamics (both productive and counter-productive functions such as encouraging, mediating, gate-keeping, standard setting, following, relieving tension, initiating, information seeking/giving, opinion giving, clarifying, elaborating, coordinating, orienting, testing, summarizing, blocking, aggressing, seeking recognition, special pleading, withdrawing, dominating, etc.)

2)     The amount of time you put into the presentation 
    a) with others in the group and 
    b) individually

3)     Your greatest contributions to the group process and project

4)     Your greatest gain from the group process and project

5)     What you would change if you had the opportunity to do it again

6)     Your assessment of your personal contributions to this presentation (a fair letter grade)  

Peer-Evaluation

Write two or more sentences assessing the contributions of each of your group's other members toward the preparation, process, and production of the presentation. Assign a letter grade for each based on this.

Group Evaluation

Your assessment of the success of the presentation itself (a fair letter grade).

 

Summary of Important Dates

January 24: Sign up for your group topic

February 12: Submit outline for presentation

March 19-April 2: In-class group presentations

March 21-April 4: Follow-up reports due