Each student must present a 15 minute paper in weeks 2-13 addressing one of the Focus Questions listed in each week’s Guide. Unless otherwise instructed by the convenors, students must address all the questions set for that week, not choose one of them. Questions in smaller font in brackets should inform students’ answers to the main question, and be addressed inter alia. Specific guidance is provided in the Weekly Guides on the nature of each week’s task.

Students must email a copy of their text in word doc format to the convenors before the begining of the seminar at which they are presenting. This is not for formal assessment, and does not have to include footnotes or bibliography. However, it must be submitted before the seminar, or the task cannot be passed.

The Handout is separately assessed, and is discussed below.

Powerpoint presentations may not be used, except by those students speaking on Art History in Week 5 (‘Capturing the Past in Images’). Powerpoint presentations are frequently a crutch, and are often used by speakers to divert attention away from themselves. Furthermore there is little to be gained by filling the screen with the text as read, as many speakers do. Such information as you wish the audience to read can and should be placed in your handout; nor is there any reason to show images of e.g. scholars you are dealing with, much less random and irrelevant images included only for “humour” value. If you feel an image is important to show, incorporate it into your handout. Spend the time you would have spent animating text blocks or searching for images to accompany your text to research and writing your presentation.

We recognise that in the academic world you will be able to use powerpoint presentations, and that it is a useful skill to be able to prepare them; however, we feel that most students have already developed this skill, and have plenty of other opportunity to practice this. In this seminar, we are focussing on the delivery of the paper (from which powerpoints often distract) and on teaching you to construct a useful handout and use it effectively as part of your presentation. If you feel that your presentation vitally depends on showing an image that cannot for whatever reason be included on your handout, you may contact the conveners no later than one week before your presentation to discuss the possibility of showing it: however, it is by no means certain that we will agree, and if we do, and you subsequently take the opportunity to display irrelevant images or the text from your presentation, you will certainly lose marks.

The Focus question(s) listed in each Weekly Guide should form a guide rather than a limit for the scope of the discussion: students who extend them by raising other relevant points will benefit in terms of their mark (though students who extend them by raising irrelevant points to use up time will not). Students are expected to go beyond the bibliography provided.

Following their presentation, students will be expected to take questions and comments from the convenors and other students, and lead or take an active part in the discussion. Students not giving the presentation are expected to direct questions and comments to the presenter in the discussion the end of the presentation. All students are expected to participate in the discussion.

The mark for the presentation (20%) will be based on:

·       Knowledge and Content (15%)

·       the level of preparation as evidenced in the presentation;

·   the degree to which students have analysed the relevant sources;

·       the relevance of the presentation to the question;

·       the manner in which the presenter responds to questions in the discussion following the presentation.

·       Presentation skills (5%)

·       the clarity and structure of the presentation;

·       delivery and communication skills;

·       the ability to keep to the allotted time.

Students must prepare a handout to accompany their presentation, setting out the main issues they are addressing and giving the bibliography they have consulted. The handout must provide the title of the presentation, the name of student, and the date of the presentation. Any specific texts you are discussing (or extracts from them) can also be included. Students must make sufficient copies of their handout for the whole class, including the lecturers, and must distribute them before the presentation. Handouts must not be longer than 4 A4 sides (two pages printed back to back), and must not use a font size smaller that 12-point except in small sections. Any student who has not prepared a handout will be deemed not to have fulfilled the task and will not receive a mark for it. There are example handouts on the unit iLearn page, which will provide you with a sample of the general requirements and possible layout. These are examples only, and should not be followed slavishly.

The handout ought to be something that both serves to illustrate the presentation (with references and quotations) and provides the other students with a record of the main ideas and bibliography on the question.  In the academic and professional worlds it is crucial that any material you give to an audience be thoroughly edited (i.e. checked through for accuracy and any spelling mistakes).  Marks will be deducted for orthographic and typographic errors, so check carefully.

The mark for the Handout (10%) will be based on:

·    The clarity of the information on the handout: are the extracts relevant? Are they well presented?

·       The usability of the handout: does the handout help the audience follow the presentation?

·     Formatting and presentation (spelling, correct and standardised referencing).

The Major Essay is due on the Thursday two weeks after the date of the presentation, except for the student(s) doing the question for week 2, for whom the essay is due four weeks after the date of the presentation, and for the student(s) doing the question for week 3, for whom the  essay is due three weeks after the date of the presentation. It must be 2500 words in length. The Major essay should address the same Focus Question(s) addressed in the presentation. 

It is important to base your essay on the major sources (whether ancient or modern), which have been set, and to compile a list of up to date secondary reading. This should extend beyond what you are given in the unit outline.

Essays must be accompanied by a bibliography of the ancient sources and modern works used. They must be referenced according to one of the accepted conventions, that is, footnotes, endnotes, or ‘in-text’ referencing. In general, footnotes are the preferred and usual method for such work. Material downloaded or cited from the Web (other than the Website of this unit) should always be cited with reference to its full Web address and date of consultation. NB:  Be very careful when using material from the web. Only use material from reputable websites set up by universities, museums/galleries, reputable scholars/associations etc. The use of material from unscholarly and uncritical websites will result in the deduction of marks

Word limits

Tables, figures, and bibliography are not included in the word limit. Footnotes which provide references are not included in the word limit; discursive footnotes giving further discussion will be counted, especially when it is clear that material has been placed in a footnote in an attempt to circumvent the word limit.

Presentation

The presentation of the essay should follow accepted scholarly practice. A general guide to ‘Essay Presentation & Conventions: Style Guide’ can be downloaded from the Ancient History Website: http://www.anchist.mq.edu.au/ (click on ‘Teaching materials’ in the left hand menu, then select the long or short ‘Essay Presentation Guides’) and this should be followed.

A two hour exam will be held during the University Examination period. Students will have to answer one question which addresses the themes of the unit in general, and two questions on specific topics drawn from the weekly seminars. It will be worth 30% of the final mark. Further details will be provided closer to the exam period.