In this assignment each group will give a short oral presentation. The presentation will be on a chapter from the book "Collapse" by Jared Diamond. The point of the presentation is to inform the class of the important ideas in that chapter in an informative and entertaining manner.

The presentation should explain the chapter in the context of the thesis of Diamonds book -- That societies choose to succeed or fail.

Here are the phyiscal parameters of the presentation.

• The presentation will last 15 minutes total (including set up and questions).
• Each group member will have a turn speaking.
• Each group will prepare an electronic presentation in powerpoint or some other medium.
• Each group will send me a final version of their presentation by 5:00 PM the day before the presentation.
• Presentations will be on Monday, Jan 28. and Wednesday, Jan 30, 2008.

Grading Rubric. When grading the presentation I will look for the following information in your presentation.

• Background
  1. Where is the society from your chapter? (geography)
  2. History
  3. Context of society (how was it organized)
  4. Interactions with other societies
  5. What was it like at its peak?
• What happened
  1. Broad picture
  2. Precipitating events
• Five point analysis

I will also look for the following attributes of the presentation.

• It fits withing the given time.
• All group memebers participate (Hint. Practice it with a live audience at least once).
• Use graphs, pictures, visuals
• Give evidence (support your claims)
  1. Results of experiments
  2. Observations
  3. Facts and figures
• Go beyond the chapter
  1. Research
  2. Ideas of others
• Tell a story

• A presentation is a tool that helps you explain to others what you have done. Most of the information is in your comments. The poster gives you something to refer to, and reminds you of important points.
• Keep visuals simple and uncluttered
• Restrict text to 4-8 lines per page.
• Use color and font changes to carry a message (e.g. related concepts or experimental results in the same colors), not arbitrarily.
• Use LARGE fonts.
• Use graphics rather than words where possible.
• Put keywords on poster to help you remember script.

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