LIT 3180, Final Examination: Presentation
This final assignment builds upon the type of reading and literary analysis that we have done throughout the semester. By this point in the term you should feel confident in your abilities to read, analyze, and interpret a text.
The final exam will consist of ONE QUESTION. You will respond to this question in the form of presentation that includes a voice over. You may use Adobe Spark, Power Point, Google Slides or some other program to complete this.
Begin your answer with a general statement that answers the question presented (this is your overall claim/thesis). Support your overall claim with multiple sub-claims that point to specific examples from the texts, argue why they are important and also argue what the specifically communicate about the themes.
PROMPT:
Using THREE of the graphic novels we have examined this term, identify two themes these texts share in common and argue their importance to these novel.
By "uphold" here, think "reinforce" cultural norms; by "complicate," think "rebel against" cultural norms; and by "undo," think "destroy or deconstruct" what the
cultural norm is.
The texts you may use are: Bitch Planet, Virgil, My Favorite Thing is Monsters, and the graphic novel you read for your group project. Choose any three of these.
NOTE:YOU MAY NOT USE OUTSIDE SOURCES FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT
INVENTION WORK (BEFORE YOU BEGIN WRITING)
Your overall claim should be something like this:
The central ideas best communicated by these texts are __________.
Next, take this overall claim, and develop at least 4 or 5 sub-claims (these are reasons that your claim is true). Support each sub-claim with specific examples from the texts we've read.
Complete your claim and sub-claims before you begin writing your essay.
Go through each text and locate specific examples that support your sub-claim.
NOTE: you must support your assertions with quotes and analysis of specific examples from the texts and explain how they illustrate the point you are attempting to make as well as how they connect to your overall claim (thesis). Refer to Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud for methods for analyzing images.
DO NOT GENERALIZE AND KEEP IN MIND THAT YOUR AUDIENCE HAS READ THE TEXT.
Please give your presentation a title that reflections the entire content of the presentation.
All presentations must be a min. of 5 minutes and no more than 7 minutes and MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A SCRIPT SUBMITTED AS A MS WORD DOC. WITHIN THIS SCRIPT, THE CONTENT OF EACH SLIDE MUST BE CLEARLY LABELED (SLIDE 1, SLIDE 2, ETC.).
POINTS ARE DEDUCTED FROM ANY PRESENTATION THAT FALLS SHORT OF THE TIME REQUIREMENT OR GOES OVER IT.
Your answers should be presented in A FORMAL MANNER, and there must be an introduction, body, and conclusion. What you are presenting is formal literary criticism, so no first person, no contractions, no personal pronouns, no plot summary, etc.). See the specifics below about purpose and audience.
What is Literary Criticism and How Do I Write a Paper of This Nature?
At its very basic definition, literary criticism is a written evaluation of a work of literature that attempts to enlighten a reader about the underlying meaning of the text, whether it is a play, poem, short story, novel, or graphic novel.
Purpose
In this type of presentation a speaker is forming an academic argument. As the writer you are arguing that your interpretation of the text is a valid - not the only interpretation - in an attempt to aid your audience in “seeing” the text in a new light or from a different perspective that perhaps may be different from their own.
Audience
Your audience is made up of academics, scholars, literary critics, professors, and students (who are academics, scholars, and literary critics in training). You should assume that they have read the text and are familiar with its contents. Because of this you would never merely retell the story because your audience is already familiar with it. This would also conflict with the purpose of this type of paper. You are to discuss underlying meaning, not retell the events of the story.
Because your audience is a scholarly one, your paper must be presented in a formal manner. You should use high diction and avoid first person, personal pronouns, and contractions.
GRADING RUBRIC:
Your grade for this assignment will be determined as follows:
Total Possible Points: 90/
Final Draft, evaluated on the following criteria:
Content/Focus (17): Does the information that is presented support the purpose of the presentation? Is the prompt clearly addressed? Is there a clear overall claim? Does the evidence presented clearly support the overall claim?
Development (17): Is the appropriate amount of supporting information used? Are ideas sufficiently developed to prove the overall claim? Are appropriate examples used to support the claim?
Organization (17) Is the information presented in a logical order? Does the presenter effectively guide the audience from the beginning of the presentation until the end? Does the speaker make use of transitions?
Formatting / Design(11): Do the colors used on the slides work well together and are they appealing to the eye - follow the guidelines of the resources provided? Is the information presented on the slides neat, clear and easy to read? Does the presenter make use of too much text on each slide rather than using minimal text with bullet points to highlight main ideas?
Delivery (17): Is the verbal presentation engaging? Is there a clear voice over that coincides smoothly with the written content, supporting the main topic points? Does the writer speak at a speed that provides the audience time to absorb the significance of the information or are they speaking too quickly? Is the speaker's voice/tone clear and properly enunciated? Does the speaker's voice convey enthusiasm for their topic? Does the writer speak at the appropriate volume in a way that aids them in clearly communicating their message?
Professionalism (11): Does the content have proper grammar, spelling, sentence structure? Does the speaker use the proper tone/formality for an academic audience? Is information properly cited on each slide? Does the speaker present a works cited slide that lists each of the sources used in their presentation (texts provided by the professor)?
NO REFLECTION (-8 POINTS)
Grading scale:
A 81-90
B 72-80
C 63--71
D 54-62
F 0-53
