Archaeology & the Media
ANT 435
Spring 2009

Guidelines for Oral Presentations

Hint: This isn't going to cut it....

Instead, I would suggest the following:

Step 1
Choose a topic about media coverage of some particular aspect of archaeology that interests you.  An example might be a topic pertaining to forensic science and archaeology, or some aspect of bioarchaeology.  Maybe you have an interest in Egyptology, underwater archaeology, etc.  The important thing to do is make sure the topic interests you in some way.
 

Step 2
Next, find at least two different sources of information on the topic in which you're interested.  Say it's bioarchaeology or forensics.  Start narrowing your topic down at this point.  Ötzi, the "Iceman," has been in the news (National Geographic, Discover, various internet sites, etc) quite a bit in the last few years, for instance.  Perhaps media coverage of the results of new forensic analyses might be worth exploring in several of these sources.  The important thing to do for this step is to make certain you've found at least two different sources of information on this particular topic, in this case it would be the results of new analyses on some aspect of the Iceman's life, such as how he died, his overall health, stomach contents (diet), etc.  The two or three sources you choose can be from either the same type of media (two or three different internet sites) or they can be from different types of media altogether (newspaper article, internet site, television special).  You must find at least two (preferably three) sources of information on your specific topic since you'll be comparing and contrasting the manner in which these sources report on your topic.

Step 3
Now comes the fun part!  I want you to critically evaluate various aspects of reporting on your topic.  Specifically, take a look at how your internet site, for example, discusses your topic compared to how your other source(s) (newspaper or magazine article) present(s) the same information on your topic.  Look at things like the language or wording that's used to discuss certain aspects of your topic.  Is the wording pretty straightforward/objective or are there some 'dramatic' or sensationalist words or phrases that are used?  You might want to look for certain adjectives that are used to describe basic information (how many times does an author use words like 'incredible' or 'remarkable,' etc to modify certain nouns, for instance?).  How about the content of the reporting?  Do the sources 'jive' or pretty much match each other in terms of information content or does one or do two of your source(s) differ somewhat (or perhaps significantly) in terms of information that's presented?  How else might you critically evaluate media reporting on your topic of interest?  In addition to examining textual information how about graphic information?  What images have your media sources chosen to use to illustrate their report on your topic?  Comparing your two or three sources, how are the images similar or different from one another?  Why do you think such images have been chosen?  Keep in mind that images can be a very important part of the overall content of reporting, and can subliminally or even overtly influence your overall impressions of the story that's being covered.  Now, have a look at the sources of information the report draws on to cover your topic of interest.  Where are they getting their information?  Are they interviewing 'experts' on your topic?  Who are these 'experts'?  What other aspects of reporting on your topic can you critique?  Challenge yourself to find other components of media coverage you can critically evaluate!  Remember to compare and contrast all of these aspects of reporting when looking at your two or three different sources.

Step 4
Finally, create at least an outline of the major points you want to discuss from your critique.  You might even wish to write down information you want to make sure you present on note cards.  You do not need to 'write a paper' on your oral presentation - it's not about that.  The point of this exercise is to get you to present the findings of your critique to your fellow students and to me in class orally.  Then be prepared to field questions we'll ask about your critique.  I expect that EVERYONE will have at least one question for you, however brief, as this factors into your fellow students' class participation grade....