Proposal Assignment PechaKucha is a format of presentation in which you play 20 slides continuously through, while you speak for

20 seconds about each slide. You will be using this format to present an image-driven argument about one of the three topics described below. Unlike your papers, the presentation is not designed to be a place for nuanced and complex argumentation. Think of it as a polemic instead your goal is to have a simple, clear point that you present in an entertaining and engaging manner. Dont necessarily pick the perspective that you feel is true or right, but rather one that you feel would be fun to defend. The goal is not really to ban certain books or argue for the freedom of the press, although that is what you will be doing on the surface. Rather, it is to study the mechanisms of making such arguments and how one might persuade and influence others regarding the influences of these texts. There are three types of presentation to choose from that correspond to three different phases of the class. 1) Presentations 1-6, Jan 30-Feb 27th: Think of the children! or Say no to censorship! Purpose: to incite discussion on a class text by polemically presenting either its bad influence on society, or by insisting on its value and the negative repercussions of censorship. You will be presenting on the texts we discuss in class on the date you pick for your presentation. When you sign up, indicate which perspective you are planning to take (Think of the children! or Say no to censorship!). If a work (i.e. Macbeth) is presented on more than once, it should be from two different perspectives. 2) Presentations 7-11, March 4-27th: Burn a book, save a book Scenario: You are living in a post-apocalyptic intellectual commune among people who memorize books to save knowledge. A new member with near-photographic memory enters the commune, but she claims that she can only memorize one more book. Sacred texts of all the worlds religions have already been committed to memory. Every member of the commune gets a vote as to the book she should memorize make your case about which book she should choose in your next library raid and why. Alternately, you are a book-burner who has been caught by an intellectual commune and they want to execute you. Try to justify why you burned all of the copies of a particular book. 3) Presentations 12-17, April 1-22nd: Bad influences today Purpose: Take a side and attempt to persuade the class to agree with you regarding a twentieth- or twenty-first century controversy over bad influences. For example, you might choose Tipper Gores push to label albums with explicit lyrics, or the creation of the MPAA ratings system, or the outcry over video games such as Grand Theft Auto.

Assessment: You will be graded on: The number of slides and your ability to stay on track as they scroll behind you. Are there 20 unique slides that each advance after 20 seconds? (40%) The persuasiveness of your argument, and how well you use the verbal and the visual to convey it. Do you choose striking pictures and explain them well? (25%) How engaging your presentation is to the audience. Does your presentation generate discussion? Are your viewers bored by it, or does it hold their attention? (25%) How smoothly your presentation runs. Do you have technical or mechanical errors that distract from your message? Do you need to turn around and look at your presentation? (10%) You will be required to submit a copy of your presentation to me by email 24 hours before the class period in which you give the presentation.