Starting in the third week of class, students will be giving short presentations (normally on our Wednesday meeting) covering one of the optional readings for the week. The goal is to expose other students to this additional material in at least summary form. Note that the class will not be responsible for reading/studying this material in the final exam; like the demos, these presentations are for "enrichment" purposes. You will have a chance to sign up for a presentation slot during the first week of class.

The presentations must be short--shoot for 15 minutes; if you go on too long I will stop you. Give an overview of the paper: its stated goals, how it pursues these goals and what findings or conclusions it claims. If there is time, also try to relate it at least briefly to related material already read or discussed by the class. Close with a few words of your own analysis: what did you think of the work and why?

It will be up to each of you whether or not you choose to develop visual aids (e.g., overheads or handouts) to support your presentation; many students find such materials to be helpful in organizing their thoughts and keeping themselves on track.