Instructions for Presenters

As Presenter your duties include becoming a mini-expert on the topic assigned, perhaps relating it to the reading for the day. For this task:

• You will need to read at least one book, three articles or chapters in a book, or a combination of these to prepare for your presentation. Ideally, your research should progress from the general to the specific, from entries in The Medieval Dictionary, The Catholic Encyclopedia (online: for questions of medieval religion and theology), or The Cambridge History of Medieval English Literature. Please work closely with me in selecting your materials.

• Your presentation should take about 15 minutes. It should show the connection between your topic and its expression in or connection to Piers Plowman, The Canterbury Tales or other readings. Take care to structure it in a way that your listeners can follow. You can use the form of a lecture or a discussion. You might want to pose a question about the literature that is based on your research. Please let me know if you need me to copy handouts or add elements to the blog to supplement your presentation.

• You will also write a 5-ish page paper on this topic, one that combines your research with a thesis about the literature. This paper should not be just a summary of your research, but should incorporate that research into an argument. How is your understanding of the literature enhanced or revised by your research? You have until 1 week after the presentation to turn in your paper. You may rewrite this short paper one time. The better of the two grades will stand.

In your paper, all quotations from the medieval texts must be in the original Middle English, although you may quote from translations if you wish to speak about the translation itself. Cite from Chaucer's CT using fragment and line number; cite from PP using passus and line number.