Überstudent
You and a small group of your fellows will be überstudents once this semester. This means that you are responsible for preparing an engaging 45-minute presentation on the assigned readings and leading a 30-45 minute discussion.
An average (C-level) überstudent group will write a summary of the articles for the wiki (see below) and post at least the night before the class; prepare a Powerpoint presentation on the readings’ major points; bring a clip from one or two movies or artworks relevant to the reading; and kick off class discussion with a handful of pre-formulated discussion questions that are also posted to the wiki discussion page. A superlative (A-level) überstudent group will post a summary of the readings that includes links to external sources several days in advance of the class; integrate numerous clips or examples (perhaps examples beyond those names in the text) into a Powerpoint presentation on the readings; develop a creative way of integrating peer comments and questions into a lively class discussion; and possibly edit the wiki summaries to reflect additional information gleaned through discussion in class.
All überstudent groups must burn their Powerpoint presentations, discussion notes, wiki summaries, and sample clips onto a data DVD to turn in at the end of their class. Please clearly indicate to which articles or parts of the presentation each individual made the greatest contribution.
Wiki
The wiki is a space for posting and collaboratively editing reading notes and holding discussions outside of class. I have been experimenting with this form this year with varying degrees of success and will be trying to integrate it with class discussion more. Some readings may already have an entry, in which case students will be responsible for improving, expanding, and editing the existing summary for style. We create wiki accounts and go over how to post and edit during the first week of class.
Image: Still from La Jetee, Chris Marker, 1962