English 364: Paper/Presentation Assignment
For the group papers and presentations, each group will research their topic, write a researched paper, and then, using Prezi,
present their findings in class on the date indicated on the schedule. Papers are due the day of your group’s presentation;
groups will also print out the URL for the Prezi so it may be examined; the Prezi must be made “public” so that it can be
viewed it without password access.
Audience: your audience for this assignment is composed of seniors who are majoring in literature and history who are
meeting at a conference to hear presentations on the historical contexts of literature of the period in which you are
researching. Your group will deliver your paper and present your findings to these people. Think about what they already
know and what they need to know; they are fairly informed about the period and its literature(s), but not on the details of
what you are covering.
Assignment
Follow these steps in preparing your work:
1) Choose a team of 4 classmates with whom to research (four people, max.; a smaller group must be authorized)
2) Research topic you sign up for and be ready to a) turn in your research paper on the date you present and use a Prezi to
present your findings to the audience described above.
3) Focus your findings on the following points regarding the work/subject you choose (each person in the group taking one
of the areas below):
a) a brief but detailed overview of the subject researched; the importance to and the influence your subject had on
the period’s literature; its lasting influence into later English literature and/or culture. What were reactions to
his/her writing at the time the person wrote?
b) the context(s) behind the work (or the works on the period), including discussion of the author(s) (the author(s)
concerns, interests, and the contexts and influences upon the work(s) and author(s)). That is, what historical,
cultural, economic, political, social (class/gender roles), or religious (or other) contexts give rise to or influenced this
author’s work and/or subject(s)? (Think, for instance, of what contexts gave rise to Swift’s “Modest Proposal.”)
c) the unique techniques in and conventions of the piece (how the work or works function as literature) or
distinguishing means of creating literature the author used—unique attributes that influence the period, genre,
history, or other works of literature.
d) an *ANNOTATED* bibliography on the work/author(s)/period: major critical, historical, biographical works
that any scholar would use in researching this subject. You will provide a bibliographical entry for an individual
work and then describe what is valuable about that work for research purposes. Is it the major literary history of
the period? Is it the authoritative literary biography of the author? Discuss its value briefly.
For all research: you are NOT to use Wikis, Shmoop, encyclopedia articles, or any “summary” sources here — only thorough
works (authoritative articles, books, and web sites ) of scholarship. Do not merely use those works you used in researching
these topics, but look for any major work that someone researching this topic should examine in their own research.
Each person in the group should cover one of the points above in the research, the writing of the paper, and the
presentation. If your group has three people in it, all three persons may contribute to the annotated bibliography.
4) Your paper is to be a minimum of 5 pages in length (set margins at .7” on all sides; turn spacing to “0” between
paragraphs in Page Layout); the paper is to be in the MLA format with citing in text of each source used, followed by a
corresponding Works Cited page (each source used must have a citation and a Works Cited entry). At the end of the paper,
you must include a photocopy of any *page* from a work you used for research, and highlight on that page the portion used
in your section of the paper. Papers submitted without these photocopies and without the Rubric are incomplete and will
not be graded and will accrue late penalties for the group. Note: Print one side of the page only
5) Present your research in a Prezi (go to www.prezi.com to set up a free account). Each group member must present his or
her section of the research project. A student who misses the presentation will fail this portion of the assignment.
You MUST cite every source used on individual “slides” in your Prezi and, at the end, have a corresponding entry for the
source in the Works Cited list (the last “slide”). This includes the video clips, summaries, quotes, as well as any scholarly
information on the play/scene being staged and critics' comments on productions.
Presentations should run 15 minutes.
6) You must send me the URL for your group's Prezi and it must be set to “PUBLIC” to be accepted for grading. Make
certain you make the Prezi "public" or it cannot be accessed without your account password. Students are responsible for
making their Prezi accessible to anyone outside the group.
This assignment receives two grades weighted equally (see the syllabus): one for the paper and one for the presentation.
You will be graded on the following:
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ability to research using authoritative sources (no use of wikis, encyclopedia-type works, or other “summary” sources
like Masterplots, etc. See class notes on choosing strong sources)
ability to focus your researched writing on your portion of the work, write and present orally and visually the work
for your intended audience, and achieve the purposes of the assignment (see rubric for written work)
ability to use MLA accurately in the paper format, citing, and documentation
ability to use accurate citing and documentation for the Prezi
ability to generate a strong visual presentation according to instructions for Prezis (see rubric for group
presentations; see also the “Points for Prezis” document on the course page)
ability to orally present your findings clearly, articulately, and coherently, coordinating visuals during your portion
of the oral presentation (see rubric for group presentations)
NOTE: While there is a single, group grade on the research project (paper/presentation assignment), grading is nonetheless
differential for each group member in cases where performance has lagged for an individual. Students will receive a grade
for the paper/presentation based on his or her own performance, which may be equal to the group grade or may be reduced
if performance is patently lower than that of other group members. Note also that each group member will write a
confidential peer evaluation for group members of the research project; this can influence an individual's grade on the
project. Each member is responsible for his/her own work on the project *and* use of sources (citing/documenting in
MLA format) for his or her own portion of the project.
Look over the topics below and the calendar, considering what
topics and dates (multiple ones) you would like to work on for
the group paper and presentation. The assignment will be given
in detail once groups and topics have been established here.
Note: lines below dates/topics indicate sign up slots for group members. You and your group members will sign up in class
for your topic.
Write down these things now: a) your group members’ contact information; b) your TOPIC and DATE of presentation.
January
Week 1
T 13
Th 15
Week 2
T 20
Th 22 Gertrude Stein or Ernest Hemingway
Week 3
T 27 Ezra Pound
Th 29 e. e. cummings or John Dos Passos
February
Week 4
T 3 T. S. Eliot
Th 5 Robert Frost or Wallace Stevens or William Carlos Williams
Week 5
T 10 F. Scott Fitzgerald
Th 12
Week 6
T 17
Th 19 Zora Neal Hurston or Langston Hughes
Week 7
T 24 Kurt Vonnegut
Th 26
March
Week 8
T3
Th 5
Week 9
T 10
Th 12 Gwendolyn Brooks or Ralph Ellison
March 16-20
Spring Break
Week 10
T 24 Eudora Welty
Th 26 Flannery O’Connor
Week 11
T 31
April
Th 2 Billy Collins or Art Spiegelman
Week 12
T 7 Jhumpa Lahiri
Th 9 Amy Tan
Week 13
T 14 Steve Erickson
Th 16
Week 14
T 21
Th 23
Week 15
T 28
Th 30 This day reserved for overflow
Week 16
Finals
May 4-8