HST6802 Research Presentation
15 credits, Semester two
Module leader 2023-24: Anita Klingler | Module team 2023-24: David Patrick
Module summary
This core module is designed to equip you with the skills and experience that you need to present and communicate a defined historical research project to an academic audience. The subject of the presentation will be your dissertation topic, so this module also contributes towards the successful completion of your dissertation.
In this module, you will identify the specific research questions driving your dissertation and learn how to discuss the sources and approaches you are using to answer them. You will develop your ability to present your research data and findings in an accessible form to an audience, and you will enhance your ability to use presentational aids such as slideshow software, data projection, and visual aids.
The module also aims to improve your skill and confidence in speaking to an audience and responding to questions; this gives you the opportunity to develop the presentational skills demanded by employers as well as by a career in academic research. You will also learn how to make reasoned and critical judgements of others' presentations.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, you will be able to:
Prepare and deliver a presentation suitable for an audience of specialists and non-specialists
Define a specific research project in an accessible way
Identify and communicate research questions, engaging the attention of the markers and audience
Make effective use of visual and technical aids
Respond to questions in an informed and appropriate manner
Make reasoned and critical judgements of the presentation skills of your peers
Make reasoned and critical judgements of your own presentation skills
Assessment methods
Assessment type - % of final mark
Oral presentation - 100%
10 minute presentation plus 5 minute question and answer
You will give a 10 minute audio-visual/oral presentation based on your ongoing research for the MA dissertation module. In addition to the 10 minute presentation, there will be 5 minutes for questions.
The presentations are given as part of the 'MA presentation day', which is structured as an academic conference with different panels running across the day. Each panel is run by academic staff and includes an audience of fellow masters students and additional staff.
Each presentation is evaluated by both the academic panel and the audience and marked on content and communication of identifiable research questions including response to questions.
The content and communication components are worth 50% each. The final panel marks and the average marks from the audience combine to give the final mark, with the academic evaluation being worth 75% of the final mark.
Additional learning and teaching information
Indicative seminar schedule:
This module will be taught through four one-hour seminars, as well as a practice presentation session leading up to the presentation itself.
A formal seminar will be held at the start of the module to introduce the learning outcomes and familiarise students with the task ahead. This seminar will also cover the practicalities of the research presentation and allow students to consider how they might structure a presentation: whether it is feasible to cover an entire dissertation project for example, or how such a project might be broken down into topics suitable for an oral presentation.
There will then be three workshops which will cover the key elements of effective research presentations. In the first of these, we will consider structure and how to pitch your presentation at an appropriate level; the second workshop will address the use of visual aids like Powerpoint; and in the final session we will discuss delivery styles and how best to engage your audience. Academic support will be available for these sessions as necessary but their purpose is to allow students to try out different aspects of their presentations before a small audience of their peers, respond to questions in an informal and supportive environment, experiment with technical and visual aids, and familiarise themselves with equipment and a venue similar to the one in which they will speak.
These sessions will therefore encourage a professional standard of presentation. They will also help students to develop some expertise in academic paper-giving and evaluating their peers.
Selected resources:
This is not a reading-based module. For your research, in general, you may find the Library Research Guide a useful resource.
In terms of tips on presenting, the internet is full of (more or less useful) videos. You might, for example, have a look at these ones. Even though they are not exclusively applicable to the academic context (and they are a bit cheesy), the fundamental advice is sound!