Class Participation
Except for the first set of readings, I will not lecture or lead the bulk of the conversations. Since the class will be small, I expect everyone to talk every week. Bringing your discussion question is not sufficient for seminar-level participation. You need to keep up with the readings and be alert and active in class.
Learning to lead an intellectual discussion will serve all of you well in a career or in graduate school, since most graduate seminars require this type of work. Thus, each week two of you will be responsible for leading class discussion, while everyone else will bring one substantive question to the seminar table for discussion.
Weekly Presentations
The two students presenting should each decide, the week before presenting, how they will divide coverage of the material. They should each prepare and distribute a short hand-out for the class that outlines important questions raised by the current readings and provides background material from outside sources. Each presentation should also briefly summarize at least one secondary source in criticism or history that could be used for further research on the week's readings. An example of this might be a short article you find about John Banvard's panoramas of life on the Mississippi and the cultural impact Banvard's work had. Including such a source could provide you or your classmates with a starting point for research for the seminar paper.
The presentations should be short--5 minutes or so from each presenter to lay out the issues we will then discuss. After that, as a class we will cover as much of the material and issues possible in our conversation. Our two presenters will moderate the discussions. Hopefully, we won't have to "call on" classmates, but the discussions will be lively enough to allow all around the table to have a voice.
Each week, everyone (except or presenters) should bring in a specific question to share with the seminar. I will collect these questions and post them to the Web site.
Final Presentations
During the last two weeks of
class, each of you will make a twenty-minute presentation about
your seminar paper. I encourage you not to read
your paper! Instead, discuss why you decided the the topic bears
critical investigation, the process of research you used, and
the reason that the topic is related to course topics we have
discussed. Note that I will award extra credit to anyone visiting
the Speech Center for help with the presentation. You are welcome
to provide printed materials or give a Web or Powerpoint slide
show during your talk.
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