Oral Presentation

Guidelines for the Oral Presentation

An oral presentation, worth 15% of a student's total grade, is a requirement of HIST 4950. The following is a set of guidelines for students preparing such a presentation.

• The public presentation will be given in front of all Historical Studies faculty and any students who choose to attend, in the tenth week of the semester.  The purpose of the presentation is to aid the presenter in further drafting a final version of the individual project by furnishing them with clear advice two weeks before the final draft is due. As well, such occasions help to acquaint attending students who are in an earlier stage of the program with what is expected of them later.  Finally, this presentation serves to introduce students with what might be required in graduate school or a public forum, and provides them with experience in performing in such an environment.
• Students are encouraged to do "trial runs" of their presentation in front of their peers.
• The presenter should give an approximately twenty-minute talk. This will normally comprise of a discussion of their research and findings, specifically:
  
  a) Where the topic fits into the literature;
  b) The sources and evidence upon which the project was based;
  c) The central issues at the heart of the project; and
  d) The final  thesis, evidence, argument, and conclusions of the project.
  
  The presentation then will be followed by a question period, during which the presenter will respond to any questions from faculty or fellow students. Students will be graded primarily on the clarity and strength of their argument as well as their use of evidence. 
• The student will receive written comments on his/her oral presentation through their supervisor no later than three days after the presentation.  The grade for the oral presentation will be determined by a consensus of all Historical Studies faculty in attendance.
   
  

Further guidelines on giving oral presentations will be presented at the information session in the first week of the semester.