Anthropology 461 Historical Ecology
Fall Quarter 2015
Tuesdays and Thursdays 1:30-3:20, MEB 245






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Class Plans for Student Presentations: December 3, 8, and 10, 2015


We will have class presentations each of the last four class sessions. We can allot about 19 minutes per presentation, allowing for a 10-minute break and a minimal amount of slop time between presentations. You should aim for an 11 minute presentation; much shorter than 9 means you are not presenting enough material, and in the interests of time and fairness, we will cut you off after 13 whether you are done or not, to allow a little time for discussion.

Send the presentation in advance. You should put your presentation in the class Drop Box by 11:00 a.m. on the day you are presenting. This will allow us to put all the presentations for the day on Steve's computer, and try them out briefly, before class. Just in case, it might be wise to bring the presentation to class on a USB drive as well. We will not have time to upload last-minute changes before or in class, and we will not have time to disconnect and re-connect different computers. So plan ahead.

Tips for making a good presentation

Content:
To make an effective presentation, of course, you need to have an interesting case to present. Structurally you want to start off with a compelling statement of the research problem you plan to discuss (though in some cases it might be appropriate to build up to the research problem if you have a good reason to divulge it slowly), including the theoretical issues from this class that inform your argument. Next you should present the substance of of your case, and you should end with a compelling argument that comes to a conclusion (showing that you have invested some of your own intellectual capital in the project).

Style
An effective presentation should also include a number of stylistic elements that facilitate the communication of your ideas. These include
  • Confident and audible voice quality
  • Comfortable pacing (speed talking or slow motion rambling can kill an otherwise good talk!)
  • Appropriate length - this means practicing in advance to see how long it takes and modifying to prevent going on too long or finishing way to quickly! Remember that you will be cut of rudely at 13 minutes, and aim for 11.
  • Not too many slides. One per minute or less is usually sufficient, unless you are just showing a sequence of pictures without any commentary.
  • Visual appeal of slides
    • Color is nice, but don't overdue it. Use color in text for emphasis, but not just for its own sake
    • Animation can be effective, especially in sequential introduction of points or images in a slide. But flashing, bleeping, and flying animations are usually distracting
    • Attractive (clean, if possible colorful) graphics - and limits to the number of images you put on a slide. Don't crowd.
    • Limited text on any slide, using font sizes that are readable from the back of the room (18 pt. fonts are considered minimum).

Schedule of presenters

Tuesday, Dec 1
 Thursday, Dec 3
 Tuesday, Dec 8
 Thursday, Dec 10