"Great Expectations"
for
Class Presentations

Some Thoughts on Thinking and Writing You have all chosen your topics for the research paper and submitted your Prospecti. Now you have time to think and start writing. I would urge you to start writing as soon as possible. Good writing is NOT done after you have done the research, but rather along with it. We have included below a series of links to lectures that can give you some help in learning how to take electronic notes and think critically about sources you will be drawing upon. Now all you need to do is begin. This is not always easy. If you find it difficult getting started, try to focus on what was most compelling in drawing you to environmental ethics in the first place. Then, give yourself credit for growing and expanding your understanding of both the seriousness of our circumstance and the urgency that you feel in addressing what lies before us as a human community. Some Tips on Electronic Note Taking For some suggestions on acquiring, organizing and presenting information with electronic tools see: "From Research to Writing: Accessing, Organizing and Presenting Evidence in the Electronic Age" (Environment Program, video lecture + PDF Slides - 18 March 2007). "Documentary Research in the Internet Age" (Environment Program, video lecture, 2008). "Electronic Research and Note Taking" (Environment Program, video lecture, 2008).

1) Students "On The Spot"

During three class sessions - on December 16, January 6th and January 13 -- students taking ENVR E120 for credit will be expected to give class presentations, based on their term paper research. Presentations are to be limited to 6 minutes (this will be timed and restricted, so that all students will have an equal chance to present their material and none can monopolize a disproportionate amount of the time available.

A sign-up sheet will be circulated in the Class Session 11 - 2 December for those in class wanting to sign up for these two sessions. Times will be assigned to the respective dates once a list of the classtime presenters is drawn up.

Those presenting their material in class on these two days should limit their graphic materials for their presentations (if they wish to use any at all) to 5 PowerPoint slides. These slides are to be sent ahead of time -- deadline = Friday, 2 January 2009 -- to: Zachary Zevitas in a file that clearly indicates your name so that your materials can be readied for your presentation at the appropriate time in the following two class sessions.

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2) Distance Learning Students
Distance learning students will need to submit a presentation that is expected to be more extensive, more detailed and with greater documentation than that of those presenting in class, since they will not have to cope with the immediate presure and constraint of a 6-minute, public presentation.

The material for their "presentations" can take the form of a PowerPoint presentation (in PPT, PPS, or HTML format), a short VHS or CD/DVD video or a creative equivalent. All of these materials will be viewed individually and judged to be the equivalent of the "in class' presentations made by those taking the class in Cambridge. You should consider your presentations as potentially "viewable" on the course website.

The materials (PowerPoint presentations or VHS, CD/DVDs etc) are to be sent physically to: