226: Papers/Presentations
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 William Wordsworth
Week 3
T 27 Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Th 29 William Blake
February
Week 4
T 3 Mary Wollstonecraft
Th 5
Week 5
T 10
Th 12 Charles Dickens
Week 6
T 17 Elizabeth B. Browning or Robert Browning (not both) or Tennyson
Th 19 D. G. Rossetti or Christina Rossetti
Week 7
T 24 Oscar Wilde
Th 26 George Bernard Shaw
March
Week 8
T3
Th 5
Week 9
T 10
Th 12 Joseph Conrad or Thomas Hardy
March 16-20
Spring Break
Week 10
T 24 Rupert Brooke or Wilfred Owen or Siegfried Sassoon, or Isaac Rosenberg or Vera Brittain
Th 26 T. S. Eliot
Week 11
T 31 Elizabeth Bowen or W. H. Auden or Phillip Larkin or John Betjeman
April
Th 2 Willy Russell
Week 12
T7
Th 9
Week 13
T 14 Timberlake Wertenbaker
Th 16
Week 14
T 21 V. S. Naipaul
Th 23 Salmon Rushdie
Week 15
T 28 Harold Pinter
Th 30 This day reserved for overflow
Week 16
Finals
May 4-8