Presentations in SOC 345

Topics: The presentation topics will be related to the topics on the syllabus but may be variations, case studies, etc. For example, students might give a presentation on mediation but might provide a case study of the innovative use of mediation in resolving a particular environmental or zoning dispute. Alternatively, a student might propose a new dispute resolution technique or might propose the adaptation of an existing technique to a new area. Presentations may document unsuccessful as well as successful efforts in dispute resolution but in either case must analyze the reasons for the success or lack of success.
Proposals: Proposals for presentations are due February 20, 2018. Proposals must include the topic to be presented, a list of scholarly sources to be used in the presentation, and an indication of the class participation exercises that will be part of the presentation.
Presenters: Each presentation will be done by either one or two students. Each will last for no more than 40-45 minutes including time for questions and discussion and any exercises the presenters have the class do.
Content: Each will contain a class participation segment. That segment might include questions posed by the presenter, questionaires for the class to complete which are then used in the presentation, exercises for the class to do, etc. Each presentation should finish with a summary of the major points the listener should have learned from the presentation and that summary should be available in the form of a handout. That summary should also include two suggested examination questions (essay-style questions) based on the presentation. Each presentation must reference relevant literature (including academic literature), data, etc.
Evaluation: At the end of the presentation, all material should be turned over to the instructor in hard copy form. The instructor will evaluate the presentation based on the following criteria: (1) use of relevant literature and theoretical concepts, (2) creativity in presentation of the material, (3) creativity in the analysis of the topic, (4) ability to engage the class in discussion and/or other forms of participation. An evaluation "rubric" link is available. If there are two presenters, both will receive the same grade. See the presentation rubric for more information about how presentations will be evaluated.