To truly make the political, cultural, and intellectual contexts of the works we're reading a part of this course, we must examine what was happening in late 19th-century America. Part of your role in this course will be to contextualize for the class one author's work or one specific text. This portion of your grade will be based on your contribution to a group presentation on one of the authors or texts listed below. Each group will be composed of only 3-4 people, and each member of the group should contribute equally to your research, your organization, and your presentation. You should try to pick a figure that you’re interested in and that’s scheduled for a week when you will have time to work with your group.

*Students presenting on Thursday, April 17 should complete their research and meet with me by Tuesday, April 15 to discuss their presentation (instead of meeting at least one week prior).

**Groups presenting on these dates should be aware that another group will be presenting on the same author. The two groups workin gon the author should contact each other to work out your topics so that you will not cover duplicate material.

• Your group must meet with me to discuss your research and presentation at least one week prior. Of course, you may contact me about it earlier than this if you wish. Presentation grade for groups who do not meet with me at least one week prior to their presentation, or who have not completed their research before meeting with me will be lowered one letter grade.
• Your presentation should be 40-45 minutes long, including a 10-15 minute discussion or question/answer time.
• Your presentation must include an audio and/or visual aid which enhances our understanding of the issues you discuss. (I can reserve various media equipment other than what’s already in the classroom with at least 24 hoursadvanced notice, but please keep in mind that your notes or a presentation outline projected onto the screen by means of PowerPoint or the overhead projector don’t count as a visual aid as they don’t contribute to our understanding of your topic).
• You must create a handout to accompany your presentation. Use it to provide information about helpful sources for students who are interested in further researching the topic(s) you cover.
• You should develop several discussion questions to pose to the class at the end of your presentation.
• You must turn in a collaborative annotated bibliography (one from the entire group) on the day of your presentation. Presentation grades for groups who turn in late annotated bibliographies will be lowered one-third letter grade (an A will become an A-).
• Every member of your group must turn in individual reflection papers on the collaborative research and performance of the presentation. These papers will be due on the class meeting following your presentation. Presentation grades for individual students who turn in late reflection papers will be lowered one-third letter grade (an A will become an A-).
• You may not read your presentation to the class. Signs of a good presentation and therefore a good grade draw from your comfort with the subject matter you’re presenting. Reading a paper demonstrates that you’re neither prepared nor confident about your subject, and it bores the class.

Here are some questions you might seek out the answers to as you begin your research. Some of these might lead you to the heart of your presentation, others might be wholly irrelevant, depending on your specific topic.

• How was the text or writer's work received at its original publication? Why?
• Why do critics appreciate it now?
• What types of Americans does the text seem focused on? What does it say about them? What was actually happening with this segment of the population in 19th-century America? What were they doing? Why did they do it? Where did they stand in the big picture of American society?
• In what intellectual tradition is the text (or writer's work) working or revising? Is the text or writer part (or a forerunner) of a larger artistic movement?
• What had to have happened or existed for this text to emerge, or for us to be reading it now?

• Find at least 5 useful and recent print and electronic sources. Make sure to draw your sources from both types of sources. If you draw from just one type of media, I'll reduce your group's final presentation grade by one-third letter (an A will become an A-)
  
• Note all publication information needed for proper documentation.
  
• Review the sources closely with your presentation topic in mind.
  
• Begin typing in your source publication information using MLA Documentation.
  
• Make sure to arrange your sources alphabetically.
  
• Compose your annotations. You might need to do some initial drafting before becoming comfortable with your annotations. Present your statements as one paragraph, single space the text, and double space between entries. Indent each line after the first, and begin typing the paragraph immediately after the citation. Each annotation must include simply a brief summary of the text in a few sentences.
  
• Title the page as [Title of Presentation]: An Annotated Bibliography
  
• Proofread for spelling, grammatical, and mechanical errors.

Each group member will also turn in a three-page reflection paper on the collaborative research and performance of your presentation. Papers should be typed, double-spaced, and should respond to these questions:

• What role(s) did you play in researching and preparing for your presentation?
• What was the biggest problem your group faced in completing the presentation? How did you solve it?
• What did you learn through researching the topic?
• What did you want your audience to learn from the presentation?
• How successful do you think your group's performance of the presentation was? What would you change about it if you could do it over again?

Note that all members of your group will receive the same amout of points for all portions of this assignment, except the Reflection Paper. Your presentation grade may also be affected if you or a member of your group do any of these things: