General Instructions for Presentations Here are some broad guidelines for preparing your presentation:
1. You can use course materials (books, articles, etc.) and outside sources. But use reliable outside sources. Not Wikipedia.
2. Demonstrate critical thinking skills through your presentation. For example, if your topic is “what is imperialism?” you should not only give its definition(s),but tell the class much more such as its history; who started it; what are the different views scholars hold; what are the outcomes of imperialism and are there any imperial powers in the world today? Etc.
3. You should use this frame of thinking about the treaties and other case studies. For example, if your topic is “The Treaty of Paris,” tell us when and why it happened? What were its outcomes? Does it have any bearing on the contemporary world? Etc.
4. Always try to relate it to the central question or theme of the course: American imperialism. Is or has America been an imperial power? How and why or why not? Why should we believe your argument?
Use PowerPoint. The lesser the text on slides, the better. Use meaningful pictures and tell us the story yourself.
*Reference you may use: Adam Burns, American Imperialism: The Territorial Expansion of the United States, Oxford University Press/Edinburgh University Press, 2017. Stephen Howe, Empire: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2002.