Documentation and Presentation

GDES 4301 Theoretical Issues

Presentation, Discussion and Documentation Guidelines

Presentation: You will be assigned a body of readings that EVERY ONE is required to read. The class will be split into 4 groups (size determined by the class size) and assigned ONE of the readings from the first THREE chapters of the course book to study, analyze and create a presentation from (For a total of 3 presentation per GROUP, 12 total for the class). The presentations will be used to initiate a class discussion of the reading. (No more than 2 presentations per class session.)

All Presentations must adhere to the following format:

1.     You MAY NOT simply read the text of the article back to the class, everyone, not just the group presenting, needs to read the article assigned before the beginning of class. It is the job of the presenting group to research and analyze the content of the article and present their finding to the larger group.

2.     No presentation should be longer than 15 minutes. The discussion should be 15-20 minutes; sometimes this happens as the presentation is being made. It is important that the presenting group allows free discussion but controls the dynamics of the group so that no presentation/discussion lasts longer than the allotted time.

3.     All presentations must give a short overview of the thesis of the article, the topics covered in it, and the author’s conclusion – supported by a slide version with bullet points.

4.     All presentations must include a biography of the author or authors of the article, who they are, where they work, what their expertise is, how they are qualified, why we should trust their judgment.

5.     All presentations must examine WHEN the article was written and validate whether the concern or topic is still relevant now, in general and specifically IN SAUDI ARABIA and why. (This is NOT a yes or no question.)

6.     All presentations must include at least 5 visual slides that illustrate the topic of the article, and a minimum of 5 current real world examples of the issue AS IT RELATES TO SAUDI ARABIA.

7.     No presentation should depend on reading from projected slides, or notes. Slide should not contain the entire text of what is being presented to the class.

8.     Please practice as a group at least a day in advance of your presentation.

9.     All members of the group should be able to answer questions about the topic of the article clearly and with reasonable authority – if you assign different sections of the article to individuals make sure that the entire group discusses the content BEFORE making the presentation.

10.  Presenters are responsible for initiating a discussion with the larger group, by preparing 3 or 4 open-ended questions raised in the presentation that the group feels where most interesting. An open-ended question is one that cannot be answered yes or no and the presenting group MUST challenge the class to support their answers.

Documentation:

1. Each GROUP will be post to the CLASS BLOG a summery of the presentation, the outline, and the images from the local examples used in the presentation. Blogs will be checked at random, and graded twice: once at midterm and one week after the final presentation.

2. Each GROUP will put their power point in a folder on the instructor’s computer in the classroom. Please make sure everyone in the group is included on the title slide.

3. Each STUDENT will be responsible for setting up their own blog and maintaining it for the duration of the class.

1. The first entry will be assigned in class and will be due posted to the blog by the third week of the semester. Students will be responsible for emailing the instructor the address of their blog.
2. Each student must document each of the presentations including those made by their group, by taking notes and then writing a personal reflection of the discussion or a topic raised in the presentation and posting it to their PERSONAL BLOG. There are 12 required posts worth 2 points each.
3. Entries should present the student’s own critically supported opinions – and may contain links, photos, sketches or quotes. This can be specific observation from the presentation or individual research on the topic.
4. As students are required to write after every presentation it is advisable to finish each blog entry before the following presentation. 

4. Entries will be graded based on
1. Basic grading will be as follows: (1) 125 word paragraph = C (70), (2) 125 word paragraphs = B (80), (3) 125 word paragraphs = A (90). In order to earn the minimum the entry must be grammatically correct and make a reasonable statement of opinion. Sloppy or poor style will result in a lower grade.

Adding links, photos and other materials will improve your grade.

Slide List for Class Presentations
Group:			Presentation:
Title of Essay:
	Outline:
Slide 1				Title:
				Topic:
				Thesis:
	Names of presenting students
				Body topics
				1
				2
				3
				4
				5
				Conclusions (thesis restated)
	Authors Biography
Slide 2				Education
				Work Experience
				Notable accomplishments
				Expertise
	History/Background for Article
Slide 3				Date Written, context – why?
Slide 4				Relevance NOW
Slide 5				Relevance in KSA
	Visual Examples from article
Slide 6				ONE
Slide 7				TWO
Slide 8				THREE
Slide 9				FOUR
Slide 10				FIVE
	Localized Visual or factual examples
Slide 11				ONE
Slide 12				TWO
Slide 13				THREE
Slide 14				FOUR
Slide 15				FIVE
Slide 16				Synopsis and questions for class