Guidelines for class presentations
Why do a presentation?
The presentation represents one of your three formative pieces of work on this course. It will
help you to structure your reading on a particular topic and give you a chance to get some
feedback on your work. Doing a presentation will give you a chance to develop your interest in a
particular area, and you might use it as a basis for your long or short essay.
Presenting your work also offers you the chance to hone your public speaking/
presentation skills –handy for job interviews, etc. It also promotes active rather than passive
learning, helping you to retain and process new ideas better.
What should the presentation involve?
Please aim to speak for about 10 - 15 minutes. Set yourself a question to answer, and explain
what evidence/ sources you’ve drawn on in order to reach the conclusions you’ve come to. This
will give much more structure to your presentation than if you just narrate a series of historical
events or “facts.”
It’s always good to use visuals, powerpoint and so on, if you can, as it makes your
presentation more interesting for the group. Aim to make it as interesting as you can!
What reading should it be based on?
Use both the course bibliography and your own research and reading. Try to present something
that isn’t just taken straight from one of the course texts – perhaps a discussion of some of the
journal articles listed under the weekly reading topics.
Is it assessed? Is it compulsory?
The presentation is a core, compulsory part of the course, but it is formative rather than
summative (so it won’t count toward your final mark for the course).
However, some students have particular difficulties with oral presentations, or may need
to adapt the format to suit their needs. If you think this applies to you, please let me know.
What if I can’t be in class to give my presentation?
You are required to commit to the week you sign up for; treat it like a formal part of your work,
the same as an exam or essay deadline. If you don’t come to class the week of your presentation,
the typical outcome will be that you will be recorded as not having submitted this piece of
formative work.
In exceptional circumstances, if you have some written evidence (e.g. a doctor’s note)
that you were unable to attend, you may be able to present a different week. However, bear in
mind that this will involve preparing a whole new presentation, in order not to disrupt the
weekly schedule of class topics.
How will my presentation be documented?
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Please bring to class with you on the day of your presentation a 1-2 page word-processed
summary of your presentation (bullet-points that summarise your main points/ slides). Put your
name on it. Do not email it; please bring a hard copy.
What about after the presentation?
I’ll encourage the class to feed back and ask you some questions about your talk. I will also give
you some written feedback and a mark.
Leading the class discussion after the presentation
This is your chance to shape the discussion around your own interests and learning. You will
find it handy to prepare some notes about what you’d like to discuss and the readings you’ve
done. Use the weekly “questions” I’ve given as a guide, but feel free to incorporate your own
ideas.
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