Archaeological Cases on Trial: Dueling Perspectives

(Aka…How can They Say That? or…I Don’t Believe It!)

PRESENTATION RUBRIC & GUIDELINE

This assignment is worth 15% of your grade. The grading is as follows:

- topic selection/description (2.5%)

- written material submission (2.5%)

- oral presentation (5%)

- group report (5%)

Total = 15%

The presentation consists of 3 parts:

A.  Written Material (for class to read…in advance)

Some pointers: 1. Do not assume that we know anything about what you will debate.

Provide concise, brief reading for both sides of the argument (can be

excepts from an essay or book, for example). Keep it to 10 pages or

so, and feel free to use visuals….it’s always good to see what one is

reading about. Best to write a brief introduction and put it at the start

of the reading, so that we the reader know what is coming in the

reading and know the topic, etc. Basically, organize the document with an introduction.

2.  Send this material to me at least one week before the day your debate takes place so I can post it on the course website. It needs to be sent as a pdf or Word document, and it needs to be a reasonable size (i.e., 2MB or smaller or I will not be able to post it on line. If the file size is big it’s your job to make it smaller; pdf has a function to do this).

B.  Oral Presentation

Some pointers: 1. Divide your group into 2 and 2 people (or 2 and 3, if your group has 5

members), with two of you looking into one perspective, the other

two looking into the other perspective. I will be the moderator, so do not worry “if it will be long enough” or about going off point, etc. I will keep you on course. I will also be the discussant, meaning that I will personally sum up each debate and comment on the perspectives once each presentation has ended.

2.  Aim for 20-30 minutes of back-and-forth followed by 10-15 minutes

of discussion with comments and questions from the class. It is good

to start things off with one person introducing things for a minute or two: what the topic is and what the perspectives are. Think of this as the time to orientate the listener to what you are doing. It is a good idea to then allow each side a few minutes to outline their perspective (“we have looked into this matter and believe that…”).

3.  Launch into the debate. Main thing here is to MAKE IT FUN! Have each side argue their perspective and counter argue what the other side is stating as a better perspective. It will be a good idea to have something on paper in front of you: your list of points, your attacks, or however you wish to organize notes. This is for your use, not to turn in. And it will come in handy as you press your point and counter the other. In terms of the back and forth, think about the presidential debates; each 2 person group makes a point or points for a minute or two, then there’s a chance for a rebuttal from the other side (commentary and criticism of what was just argued). If you go on too long I will jump in and direct things to “keep it going.” Like I said above, I am the moderator, so I will keep things going. If you think about each side making three or four of these statements, followed by rebuttals, then that will take up the time!

4. Remember, we need to know what data you are citing in support of

your arguments and against the other argument! In other words, why

you are obviously correct and the other people in your group are

wrong, wrong, wrong! Don’t forget the data, because that’s what

makes or breaks your case! To argue without evidence is like swimming without water; it’s tough unless you are a mime. We have covered a lot of things in this class. Use the information/concepts we have covered in class when you argue or when you critique (basic tools like context, association, age, assumptions of interpretation, falsifiability/scientific method, etc, etc etc….USE LOGIC!!) and you will be well armed, indeed!

5.  If visuals help your case, then by all means use them! We have a

laptop and computer here and a projection system, so feel free to use that if it helps. Perhaps a handout or two is in order? Think about this and do what your group thinks is appropriate to make your case and make this a learning experience. Remember, the class will have read (better have read!) in advance the materials you create for them, so no need to reproduce that. Whatever you choose to do it is up to you. Be

creative, but be on point!

C.  Group Report

Some pointers: 1. Submit one report authored by all members of the group. It needs to

be submitted to me at the time of your debate/presentation. Your

report should be a summation of your topic, question(s), data,

perspectives, and so on. You are free to arrange it in any way you see

fit, but it should be kept to a MAXIMUM of 5 pages double-spaced

(normal borders and font) exclusive of any figures (etc.) and be

comprehensive within the allotted space. Basically, you need to cobble together in some way your topic, the points discussed, references used, etc. The rest I leave up to you, but some logical internal organization would be welcome.

ADDITIONAL FACTORS — Do NOT Ignore

1.  On presentation day each person in your group will submit (to me) a one-page (maximum) letter in which you anonymously assign a letter grade (A+, A, A-, etc…down to F) to each of your fellow group members. In the letter, you need to justify each grade by commenting (in a sentence or two) on individual contributions and anything else you think is appropriate for me to know. Rest assured that I will take these grades and comments into consideration when assigning final grades and that your comments will remain anonymous. This part of the assignment is intended to prevent (hopefully) some people from becoming useless slugs.

2. When you are not presenting, you need to read the assigned material before class and come prepared to ask questions and participate in the discussion.

Finally, if you have any issues or questions (or anything!) don’t hesitate to contact me for help (). I will always help you to the best of my ability.