Historical Archaeology
ANT 412
Fall 2009
 

Presentation Guidelines

Guidelines for Oral Presentations
 

The Basics:
Article Choice:
You and your partner should choose an article assigned based on your interest (or potential interest) in the topic discussed in the article, the time period of interest and how the presentation preparation might be impacted negatively by time you'll need to devote to other concerns (studying for exams, papers or presentations due in other classes, work schedule, etc.).  You and your partner will each sign up for the article of your choice on the sign-up sheet posted on my office door, Room 103, SBS Building.

Presentation Length:
Your oral presentation must be between 10-15 minutes in length.  This is not negotiable.  Points will be deducted for presentations that fall short of the minimum 10 minute length.  The remainder of the class period will be devoted to an open discussion of the research topic presented in the reserve article assigned for that week. 

Points:
Presentations count for 100 points, or just over 15% of your course grade.

 

The Specifics:
For Presenters:
If you are presenting on a reserve article make certain you discuss the following:

• Purpose of the research.  Why did the author conduct this research?  What were the objectives or goals they hoped to accomplish in doing this research?
• Methods used to conduct the research.  How did the author go about collecting their data for the research?  What were the sources of information used?
• Results of the research.  Did the author reach their goals or objectives?  Provide a concise synopsis of what they learned from doing this work.
• Gaps in the research.  Now that you've discussed what's there, go ahead and point out what's missing.  What other kinds/sources of information might be useful in more fully reaching the research goals discussed by the author(s)?
• Presentations of the above.  How well are each of the above laid out?  Is the author (or are the authors) clear on their objectives, methods and results?  Do they point toward more research that's needed in order to more fully answer their research questions?  In other words, do they indicate where there are gaps in their research and how these gaps might be filled?

For Everyone Else:
If you are not presenting on a reserve article make certain you bring to class between 3-5 discussion points for the same article.  You will bring to class two copies of your discussion points/questions.  One copy will be turned in to Professor Simmons at the beginning of each class and the other copy you’ll write answers and notes on and keep as a study guide for your exams.  Follow the format below for your discussion points.

After the presenter is finished we'll discuss as a group the research presented in the reserve article you've read.  The discussion points you create can include questions you had about the research objectives, methods or results, gaps in the research (areas in which more/different research would contribute to the topic), and information from the article that relates topically to your prior knowledge of the subject and/or the topic on which you will be (or have) presented in class.  Be creative!  What do you find worth discussing about this research?  Whatever it is, let's make sure we talk about it in class.

Needless to say, if you don't have 3-5 discussion points/questions for each week's reading it will be clear that you are not doing the readings and/or composing the discussion points and that, of course, will adversely impact your grade for the course.  The point is to generate some lively discussions, and the way to do that is for everyone to contribute!

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Format for Discussion Points/Questions 

David Gilmour (name)
12 September 2009 (date)
Historical Archaeology (ANT 207) (course)
Mascia article (name of reading)

Sample types of questions/points -

1).  What does Mascia mean when she uses the term “agricultural ladder” and how is this used to illustrate her points about the development of nineteenth century farming?

2).  Why do you think that Mascia tells the story about her childhood growing up in rural New York state and how she got interested in archaeology?  What do you think is the point of this?

 3).  I like the way Mascia weaves her thoughts with the short sections written by different authors.  I think it adds a lot to the reading by giving the reader several different perspectives on the same topic.  What do you think?

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Guidelines for Research Posters
 

General Poster Points:

First, think about a topic in historical archaeology that interests you.  The topic is up to you - your choice entirely.  Some possible topics are listed below.  But I want you to discuss your main topic with me first, before you embark on your research.

The next step is to organize your thoughts about the research by creating an outline of the sub-topics and specific points you want to address in your poster.  Remember, you're creating research posters in place of writing a term paper, but the content of the poster has to be thoroughly researched and clearly written, just as you would a term paper.  Likewise, as with a research (term) paper, you'll want to include specific examples in your poster that support the statements you make there.  You'll be presenting the results of your research to Professor Simmons and your classmates (see below for presentation guidelines).

Once you have you've chosen your research topic and created your outline take a look at the student posters that are on the walls of the "Anthropology Hall" of SBS.  Use these student posters to get ideas about the layout and organization of your poster.  Research posters should be somewhere on the order of 2-21/2 by 3-4 feet in overall size, or roughly about the size of the posters on the walls in SBS.

You can create your posters in MS Powerpoint or any other software program.  I strongly encourage you to check out the following discussions of how to create a research poster.  One of these is for students that provides good guidelines for research posters is at http://www.saa.org/Portals/0/SAA/Publications/thesaaarchrec/jan05.pdf.  Once the .pdf opens scroll down to page 22 and read this two page article carefully - it should really help you a lot in preparing your poster.  Finally, another web site that will be useful can be found at: http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~cainproj/designing.html.  Use these as guides and, of course, be sure to follow the specific poster guidelines below.

Poster Specifics:
Use the following points below as a kind of checklist to ensure yourself the best grade possible on your research poster:

• You must cite no fewer than 5 (five) sources of information.  Note - NO Wikipedia sources will be accepted.  Sources of information should come from edited book volumes, professional journals, or professional reports.  Any on-line sources of information should be discussed with and approved by Professor Simmons very early in the process of conducting research for your poster.  The sources of information for your research poster can be included in a small box, typically placed in the lower right or left-hand corner of your poster, but this is not a requirement.  Judge how much space you have available on your poster and if there is room include your sources of information.  At the very least, though, your references cited should be typed up as "References Cited" and presented to Professor Simmons at the time of your presentation.  See American Antiquity for citation guidelines.  Make sure your name is on the References Cited page you turn in to Professor Simmons.
   

• You must turn in/e-mail to Professor Simmons a rough draft of your poster no later than Friday November 13, which is one week prior to the beginning of class poster presentations.
   

• You must use white or an off-white color for the background.
   

• You must use an appropriate-sized font (see poster guidelines in web sites listed above).
   

• Aim for a balance between images and text.  Try to avoid making a poster that is overly text-heavy.  Again, strive for balance.
   

• Use headings (Introduction, Methods, Results of the Research) to delineate those different sections of your poster.  You may also use sub-headings, if needed.
   

• Posters will be graded by fellow students and Professor Simmons on 1) the breadth of research presented, 2) clarity of the presentation & 3) overall visual appeal.  See below for more specific information on the presentation.
   

• The title of your research, your name, the class, and 'Fall 2009' must be printed at the top of your poster in the following manner:

Industrial Archaeology at Boott Mills, Lowell, Masachusetts
David Gilmour    Historical Archaeology ANT 412    Fall 2009

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Possible Research Topics:

• How historical archaeologists know what they know: integrating various sources of information

• Spanish colonialism in the settlements of La Florida

• Architectural styles and community layout - similarities and differences between English and Spanish colonial sites

• Plantations and rural farmsteads in North Carolina or the greater Southern US

• Dating techniques used by historic archaeologists - what works and why

• Industrial archaeology - the textile mills in New England during the late eighteenth to mid-nineteenth century

• African-American archaeology as an important sub-field in historical archaeology: recent finds and interpretations

• The evolution of historical archaeology through time: the roots and branches of the discipline

• Recent discoveries in underwater archaeology in the Carolinas

• Immigrant settlements in the West: Identifying the ethnic identities of California's nineteenth century miners

• Biography: the contributions of Stanley South to the development of historic sites archaeology

• Cultures in Contact: issues, debates and theoretical orientations

• Reconstructing historic landscapes - new theoretical and methodological approaches

• Battlefield archaeology today - how reconstructing the Battle of Little Big Horn changed everything

• Many others - be creative!

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Guidelines for Research Poster Presentation

The Presentation:
You'll have around 5 minutes to present the results of your research to your peers as you're standing near your research poster.  Relax - this is an informal presentation, but you should discuss the following in a clear, cogent manner: why you chose your particular topic to research, the sources of information you used (remember - these are either on your poster or are to be given to Prof Simmons on a separate, type-written sheet with your name), the results of your research and how your research relates to topics we've discussed during this course.  Your fellow students will be assessing both your presentation and your research poster using the evaluation form Professor Simmons has already given you.  Once your presentation is over you should be prepared to answer questions from your fellow students and from Professor Simmons as thoroughly and comprehensively as you can.  Here are some specifics on what you should keep in mind for your poster presentation -

• Why did you choose your particular research topic?
  Think about what drew you to the topic you've spent considerable time learning about, why it's interesting and informative, and why it matters in the larger field of historical archaeology.

• Sources of information
  But sure to go over the guidelines above and check with Professor Simmons if you have any questions.

• Results of your research
  What interesting things have you learned?  Why/how are they interesting?  What is the significance of this research in advancing our understanding of the human group(s) you studied?

• How does your research relate to topics we've discussed in our class?
  Can you make connections between what you've found in your research and topics or studies we've discussed in class?  In what ways does your research illustrate some of the concepts we've studied and talked about together since the semester began?

The Research Poster is worth 150 points (20 percent) of your final course grade.