Hi Everyone, Here's a draft of an FAQ for Class Presentations. We will go over them in Class on Tuesday.
Some Frequently
asked Questions about Class Presentations
1.
Why do you want us to present class material? That seems really
scary.
Well, it is part of the seminar style. Students
in a seminar share in the responsibility of presenting the material. It can be
scary to stand in front of people, but it is also a lot of fun. (I say this as
a former extremely shy person. I love teaching!!) Even if you don’t find it fun,
you’ll gain valuable practice in oral communication which will help you in a
variety of real world experiences.
2. You are probably
right about that. It still sounds daunting. How long does this presentation
need to be?
You are responsible for presenting lecture/discussion
material for a 15-20 minute section of class.
3. Wow. That’s a
lot of time. How will I know what to present on?
Step One. There is a list of possible presentations
at the end of this FAQ. Pick one that you’re your schedule and interests best.
Step Two. Read the assigned material several
times before your presentation.
Step Three.
Take notes on what seems important or confusing to you.
Step Four.
Read some secondary literature.
Wait a minute, what’s
secondary literature? Where do I find that?
Secondary literature is a piece of writing that some professional
academic wrote about the information that you are presenting. You can find some
suggested secondary reading after each section in the Curd reader. You can also
use Google Scholar or the Philosopher’s Index to find recent scholarly
articles. Remember that Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy I told you about
earlier. You should consult it as well.
Okay. How much
secondary literature should I read?
Five sources should be sufficient. By the way, construct a
bibliography for your presentation. You’ll have to turn that into me on the day
of your presentation.
Step Five. Write down how the secondary literature
changed your understanding.
Step Six. Think about how you want to present the material. Presenting
well isn’t just about knowing the material well. That’s the first step. You also have to give some thought to how you
want to present it. Think about what kinds of presentations you like best. What engages you in the learning process?
Step Seven. At that point, schedule
a meeting with me to go over what you plan to present.
Wait a minute… Really,
I have to come talk to you privately. That sounds scary.
Don’t worry. I am a very nice person. However, you can just email me
your ideas also and we can have a discussion electronically.
Okay, that’s a
relief.
What else to do I
need to know about presentations?
Well, that brings us to Step 8. Your presentation should include
some basic information about the particular topic you’ve been assigned. You should
create a handout for your classmates so they can follow the presentation. You
should have some questions to ask your classmates to help generate discussion
and thoughtful reflection. You should discuss how your topic relates to other
things we have studied in class, this is where you class notes or your previous
blogs or the blogs of your classmates might come in handy. You should also
mention how this topic relates to topics in your major field of study. You are
welcome to make a PowerPoint or a Prezi as well.
Okay, I feel like
the expectations are clear. Except where do I sign up again?
I’m glad you asked. Here’s the sign up sheet. Email me your first
second and third options. I’ll fill them in first come, first serve. I’ll email
you back with your assignment.
Presentation Sign UP sheet.
Week Five Feb 11 Zeno Reading:
Curd, 66-72.
Student presentation on the motion/
dichotomy paradox.
Student presentation on
paradox on the Achilles paradox
Student presentation on the
arrow paradox
Student presentation on the
stadium paradox
Week Five Feb 13 Empedocles Reading:
Curd, 73-100.
Student presentation Biographical
Information on Empedocles.
Student presentation
Empedocles -Metaphysics
Student Presentation on Empedocles
– Epistemology
Student presentation Empedocles
–Ethics.
Student presentation on the
recent discoveries of new Empedocles fragments and how that changes our
understanding of his work.
Week Six Feb 18 Anaxagoras Reading,
Curd, 101-108. Plato’s Phaedo. 96a-102a.
I will provide a handout. Also the Phaedo
is online at http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/phaedo.html
Student Presentation Biographical
Information on Anaxagoras.
Student Presentation on
Anaxagoras - Metaphysics.
Student Presentation on Anaxagoras-
Epistemology
Student Presentation on Anaxagoras-
Ethics.
Dr. Schultz will present on
Plato’s Phaedo 96a-102a.
Feb 20 The Atomists: Leucippus
and Democritus Reading: Curd, 109-126.
Dr. Schultz will talk briefly
about Leucippus. About whom almost nothing is known.
Student Presentation on Democritus-
Metaphysics
Student Presentation on
Democritus – Epistemology
Student Presentation on Democritus-
Ethics.
Week Seven
Feb 25 The Sophists Reading:
Curd, 144-161.
Dr. Schultz will give general overview.
Student presentations on Prodicus,
Student presentation on
Protagoras
Student presentation on
Hippias
Student presentation on Gorgias.