HDCS 1300 Human Ecosystems

Criteria for Group Presentations

What is required for this presentation:

As a group, you will be responsible for presenting over issues in your textbook. Your overall presentation grade will be derived from the following two parts of this presentation.  The first part asks you to analyze the assigned issue from your textbook and address the following points in a PowerPoint presentation.  Further research outside your textbook may be needed. The second part of your presentation requires your group to lead the class into a discussion/debate over the issue.

 

PowerPoint slides - you must respond to the following points:

• Identify the topic.
• What is the central issue of the topic being discussed?
• Who was each of the authors’ intended audience? And how do you know?
• What is the summary or abstract of each argument?
• What are each of the two sides saying to dispute or support the argument?
• What are the apparent underlying assumptions for each of the arguments?
• What allowed you to take an unbiased approach to the arguments?  Did the assumptions you had about the issue before reading the articles change or remain the same?
• What questions did the arguments raise in your mind?
• What are the writers’ credentials, purpose, and motivation for writing?
• Where do the writers disagree about the facts or the interpretation of the facts?
• Where do the writers disagree about underlying beliefs, values, or assumptions?
• What forms of persuasion are being used? How are the authors’ each using pathos, logos, and ethos in their arguments?
• What was left out of the arguments, either because the author might not have wanted you to know, or because the author was not thorough? How did this affect your response to the argument?
• How does this issue relate to Social Sciences and the “Family and Human Ecosystems” model?
• How is this issue relevant to now?
• Evaluate whether or not you feel the author’s argument was valid, successful and/or persuasive.
• You must include at least one relative video/act/performance/visual (You can use Youtube).

 

Discussion:

 

• Come up with 4 or 5 discussion questions that you think will help provoke the audience.
• Tie in the issue with a current issue in our society today- perhaps a news article or video.
• Play the devil’s advocate – Side with the view that you feel most people would disagree with to encourage a good discussion. Keep in mind, a good discussion is one that includes disagreement. This makes things more interesting!
• Remember- for every one person that agrees with you, there is at least one that disagrees with you.