Methods of Literary Study
Presentation Guidelines

Objective

Familiarize yourself enough with a work of literary criticism to present an overview of it to your classmates in the form of a GoogleSlides document that identifies the central argument, key points, strengths and weaknesses.

Groups

If you wish, you may complete this task individually or with a partner. Divide the task up as appropriate. Each student in the group should produce at three slides in support of an interpretation and application of a chosen critic's piece. Sign-ups will open up on Friday, 25 September 2020.

Date

You will be presenting on the date indicated on the syllabus for discussion of the chosen critical work:

Procedure

• Choose one of the critical works from the syllabus—a work analyzing either Shakespeare's Othello or Cather's My Ántonia.

• Sign up to present on that critical work (this will be either alone or with a partner).

• In three to five GoogleSlides, explain the key points in that work's argument and approach.

  • What is its intended audience?

  • What is the time period in which the critic is writing?

  • Which parts of the primary text has the critic focused on?

  • Which techniques does the critic use to get her or his point across?

• Explain what you find persuasive about this critical work and what you find less persuasive or disagree with.

• Pay some attention to the visual organization of information. Perhaps bullet-points will be a good option. Include at least one image to support your presentation in some way.

• After receiving questions from classmates in the margins about the critical work that you have presented, add on more slide to respond to those questions, due one week after the deadline.

Grading standards

Presentations will receive A-F grades based on the following criteria:

Adherence to topic guidelines.

Clarity of the argument about the critic's interpretation.

Effective use of examples.

Creativity in interpreting the critic's argument.