How to write or conceive a presentation or paper

Note: It is really worthwhile to read this carefully and if anything’s unclear, just ask.

1. Finding a topic: Specify and reduce! Topics are often too wide and far-reaching.

Bad Example: Martin Luther King.

Good Example: Martin Luther King in the music of Nina Simone and Public Enemy

2. Do your research and collect information (that’s reading and understanding, or for us: Afb I).

3. Start writing your Afb II part. For instance, a comparison. Here we take info (Afb I) Nina Simone +
info (Afb I) Public Enemy and use it to compare “Why (the king of love is dead)” [Nina] with “By the
time I get to Arizona” [Public Enemy]. Simply Afb I + Afb I = Afb II. And probably no one has ever
compared these two songs, I’ve escaped from “Wikipedia-land”, new ground. If I was analysing “By
the time I get to Arizona” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrFOb_f7ubw ), I would use the P-E-E
method. Furthermore, I wouldn’t just analyse the words of the song, I would also analyse how other
bands have dealt with the topic, for example: U2 Pride in the Name of Love, Queen One Vision, or
Paul Simon’s “So beautiful or so what”. In addition, I would try and find a way of analysing its
historical context.

4. Now, it’s time to move on to Afb III. Here, you have to evaluate/assess, comment or discuss.

Firstly, “discuss” is tricky. As a written exercise it’s no problem, but live in class it is very tricky.
Problem 1: The no brainer. “MLK was a good man. Discuss.” (This discussion will be over in ten
seconds). Problem 2: In order to discuss about a topic your classmates will need to use the
information you provided in Afb I and II. If they don’t need this information, it means that your
presentation was pretty unnecessary at least with regard to the discussion. Also if the discussion
stops, you’ll need more questions to reignite it.

I recommend “comment” or “assess”/”evaluate”. “Assess” means reflecting on what you have learnt
and “evaluate” is estimating how “valuable” or “important” the results of your essay/presentation
are. “Comment” is the justified statement of your personal opinion on the basis of your work
supported by personal and external evidence. I wouldn’t use the operator “justify”. Simply Afb I +
Afb II = Afb III. Also it may be possible to do a creative task for your Afb III (please ask your teacher
about this).

5. Finally, yes finally, write your Afb I. Only mention absolutely essential facts and the information
your audience will need to understand your Afb II and Afb III. Irrelevant information will mean that
you lose the red thread (roter Faden).

6. The order of Afbs in your presentation or paper will be: I. then II. then III.