GUIDELINES FOR GROUP PRESENTATIONS
And Sustainability for All? – Spring 2007
Central Issues
Develop your group presentation around the central ethical and justice questions for your
topic. Although you will have to present non-philosophical information, the focus of your group
presentation must revolve around the central moral question. Your goal is to provide students
with enough breadth and depth of material that by the end of your presentation they can begin to
think about how they would address your topic’s central issues.
Your group presentation should include specific goals about the topic that are apparent at the
outset. Start with a general introduction that includes a statement about the central issues of your
conflict and a brief outline of the presentation, including who you are and who is doing what.
You should address the following in your presentation:
1. What is the nature of the resource conflict?
2. How did the conflict originate?
3. What political, social, economic, religious, scientific, philosophical, legal, etc. factors
precipitated and help to maintain the conflict?
4. What values are at stake in the conflict? How can we think about these values in terms of
ethics and/or justice?
5. Who are the primary participants/stakeholders in the conflict? (Examples: Rebel groups,
governments, local population, corporations)
6. What are the past, present, and potential future environmental impacts of the conflict? You
should consider both direct and indirect impacts.
7. How do(es) the resource(s) make its way from point of origin to the eventual end use(s).
8. If the conflict has been resolved, how did that resolution happen and what is your analysis of
the solution(s) that ended the conflict?
9. If the conflict has not been resolved, what are some possible mechanisms for resolution?
Which of these mechanisms seem more/less likely to succeed and why?
10. Are similar conflicts likely to occur in the future and why/why not?
Research and Preparation
1. You may want to incorporate relevant course material into your presentation.
2. The class should have read the article that you have assigned before the day of your
presentation. Other than that, most of us will not have done any specific reading about your
topic. You should plan to teach the class in a clear, informative, interesting, engaging, and
team-oriented manner.
3. Your group is required to meet with both of us at least once approximately one week before
your presentation date. At this meeting, we will expect to see an outline of your presentation,
how you intend to use your allotted time, and who will present which facets of the topic. We
expect to see all group members at this meeting. The purpose of this meeting is for us to help
you make a quality presentation, provide feedback, and answer any questions you might have.
Outside of this mandatory meeting, we strongly encourage you to visit us for help and
feedback as you research your topic and develop your presentation.
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4. Every time you meet as a group one person (not necessarily the same person each time) must
take minutes of who is present, what you discuss, what you have accomplished, what you
plan, etc. These minutes need to be detailed enough so that we can get a good idea of what
you specifically did to prepare for your presentation. Minutes should be e-mailed to both of
us no later than 11:59 pm on the day of your presentation. These minutes will be used to help
us derive your group grade.
Format
Each group presentation will last an entire class period. The class is “yours” for the entire 80
minutes; plan how you will use that time effectively and completely.
You may use any format you wish for your presentation, provided that all group members
participate in the presentation. Focus on providing useful and interesting information,
identifying major issues, beginning to offer some possible answers to important questions, and
involving the class in significant ways with your topic, including class discussion.
If you need any equipment that is not already in the room, please talk to us in advance so that
we can reserve it for you. If you ask us, “Can we do such and such...,” the answer probably will
be “YES,” with two exceptions. First, we recommend not showing much more than 10 minutes
of video, if you choose to show videos. Excessive use of video material will take too much time
away from the rest of your presentation. Second, you cannot bring in a guest speaker; you will be
graded on your own group presentation efforts and not on your ability to make someone else do
your teaching for you.
Please identify yourselves in some way at the beginning of your presentation so that other
students can call upon each of you by name.
Class Involvement
You are expected to involve the class in your presentation, and a portion of your grade will
depend on how well you accomplish this goal. One way to make sure that you engage class
members is to talk to us as individuals and not at us as a blank, anonymous audience. There
must be some level of interaction with class members, including opportunities for us to ask
questions, offer comments, engage in discussion, and otherwise participate in your presentation.
We should be active members of the audience and not just passive participants. It is important
for you to indicate clearly when it is appropriate for class members to speak. You may decide to
allow class members to speak throughout your presentation, or you may prefer to restrict
discussion to certain times during your presentation. Develop a format with which you are
comfortable and that makes us comfortable.
Your presentation should not be restricted to formal lecturing, nor should it be solely class
discussion. Strike a balance between formally teaching the class and allowing us to speak and
participate. Feel free to include presentation formats such as small group discussion, whole class
discussion, role-playing, etc. Any small group discussion must be followed up with some whole
class discussion. When initiating any discussion be prepared to provide guidance and keep the
discussion focused. Be aware that leading a discussion is an active, not a passive process.
We encourage creativity to help make your topic more lively and stimulating. Be careful to
ensure that all creative efforts are thoughtful, effective, and have a substantive message that is
conveyed best through your pedagogical approaches.
The main goal of all class involvement is to motivate class members to think in an informed
and critical manner about your topic.
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Some Practical Do’s and Don’ts
DO:
1. Prepare, prepare, prepare.
2. Look and act professional. Dress in a manner appropriate for your presentation.
3. Preview any audio-visual material you will use, and make sure that it’s cued up and ready to
go. Know in advance exactly what you’ll be showing us and how much time it will require.
4. Speak clearly and at a good pace.
5. Quote appropriate references as needed.
6. Make a lot of eye contact with your audience.
DON’T:
1. Wait until the last minute to prepare.
2. Read your talk verbatim, either from notes or from any visual aids (including PowerPoint
slides). It’s okay to refer to notes, but don’t read them word for word.
3. Make distracting gestures when you talk (play with a pointer, rock back and forth, play with
your hair, pick your nose, chew gum or tobacco, etc.).
4. Make distracting gestures when other group members talk. Don’t have impromptu group
meetings and discussions with group members who are not talking while someone else in the
group is speaking.
5. Speak too rapidly, too slowly, too quietly, or too loudly. Don’t speak in a monotone voice
and/or mumble.
6. Talk to only one person in the audience, your feet, a screen, or a wall.
7. Panic. Staying calm and focused is very important, especially if you hate speaking publicly.
8. Try to be excessively funny or excessively serious. Humor and exaggerated seriousness have
their place when used judiciously. Remember that this is a group presentation and not a
comedy show or a Bar/Bat Mitzvah.
Grading
You will be graded as a group. We will ask class members to fill out evaluation forms at the
end of your presentation, and we will review these forms extensively before giving you and your
group a grade. Included in these evaluation forms will be specific comments and criticisms as
well as suggested group grades. Each member of your group will receive a group grade, but we
reserve the right to move individuals within the group up or down if we believe that the person(s)
pulled more or less of their fair share.
For your group presentation, we specifically will grade you on the following:
1. Presentation of the topic: Content and style. How informative, effective, and interesting
was your presentation? How well did you teach the class? Did you provide us with enough
breadth and depth of material so that we could begin thinking about the salient aspects of
your topic?
2. Class involvement: How well did you involve and integrate the class as a whole into your
presentation? Was there adequate time for class discussion, and how effectively did you
direct this discussion? Did you motivate class members to think critically about your topic?
3. Team effort: Was it an actual group presentation, as opposed to a series of individual
reports? How well did your group work together? What kind of cohesion and organization
were apparent in your presentation?
4. Preparation: How well did your group prepare for your presentation? How well did each of
you know your presentation material? Was your presentation well organized?
This group presentation constitutes 20% of your course grade.
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