Ms. Dheer's ENG 3U0 Class
A Thousand Splendid Suns: Seminar Presentation
The Assignment
A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini
SEMINAR PRESENTATION
INTRODUCTION
You and your group members will conduct a seminar on a section from Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns. The seminar should take approximately 20 minutes and should serve as a lesson to the class for the section you are assigned. For your assigned section you will research at least 2 aspects from the list below.
ELEMENTS OF THE SEMINAR
Your group must have the following elements present in your seminar:
Plot Summary – provide a brief summary of your section (focus on the key events of the section, plot development, conflict, setting, etc.)
Character Development – identify and analyze the main characters in your section
Themes – discuss any themes that are present in your section
Significant Quotations – identify 5 important quotations from your section and explain WHY these quotations are important
Other Points of Interest – anything else that you would like to say about your section (i.e. relevant points for future interest, symbolism, etc.)
Research Component – provide a brief explanation of how the novel can be read from the
theoretical perspective you have been assigned (make links via characters, ideas, themes, etc)
Discussion – create 3-4 thoughtful and interesting questions to lead the class in a lively discussion about your section
Handout –prepare a 1 page handout highlighting the key information from your seminar for me to post online for your classmates
RESEARCH TOPICS
Historical Perspective – Symbolism of characters in relation to historical figures
Biographical Perspective – Khaled Hosseini’s life experiences and how they come through or factor into the novel
Psychological Perspective – This about the psychological perspective of guilt, war, displacement from home, etc.
Gender Perspective – Gender Theory and Stereotypes (why does Hosseini portray his males and females the way he does? How does this factor into the culture of the main characters?)
Sociological Perspective – Think about social acceptance and how characters try to redeem themselves. In addition you can discuss Jalil and his reluctance to accept Mariam as his daughter, from a sociological perspective.
You may research any of the topics listed above and relate them to your section. Your seminar must research at least 2.
SEMINAR EXPECTATIONS
Make sure your seminar includes an introduction, body (with discussion), and conclusion. In other words, PLAN how you would like your seminar to go. It should be well-organized!
Your seminar should be instructional and cover all of the required elements.
Though it is important to cover all of the required elements, make your seminar as interesting and interactive as possible! Plan activities to involve your classmates and BE CREATIVE!
Make use of visual aids such as Prezi presentations, PowerPoints, Bristol boards, etc.
OTHER EXPECTATIONS
Your seminar should take approximately 20 minutes.
Seminar presentations will be on Friday July 21st
Each member of the group must have a defined role within the group. When each member contributes actively, the results are amazing! Don’t let your group down!
Provide a properly formatted Works Cited with your handout referencing all of the credible websites, books, articles you used for your research.
IMPORTANT DATES
Handout Due: One day prior to your presentation by 1:30pm
Seminars: Friday July 21st
Starting Your Research - Using the Library Catalogue
Once you are at the main page, enter the subject/keywords of the topic that you are searching for. Keep in mind that spelling is really important! If you spell the word that you are looking for incorrectly, the system will assume we do not have it. We may not have books for some of the topics that you are looking for, but this is a good place to start! For this assignment, many of the books have been pulled for you so check the cart to see the books that we have for your topic. If you have not chosen a topic as yet, the cart might be a good place to start to get background information on your topic. The link below will take you to the library catalogue for Fletcher's Meadow.
Doing a Boolean Search - How to Find What You Are Looking For!
Doing Your Research - How to Search the Databases
Once you have found the databases you will need to start searching for your topic. There are many databases to choose from to help you find what you are looking for.The following are a list of databases that I would highly recommend that you start with for your search:
- Canadian Points of View
- Points of View Reference Center
- Canada in Context
- Global Issues in Context
- Explora
These databases are the ones that you should start with as they are most relevant the topics that you are researching. All of the databases are great sources of information. They are better than a random search on a website because you can find a lot of information here that has been written by experts in the field. You should not have to use Google for any of your research for this assignment. The databases will have what you need to get your work done!
Be aware of the search terminology that you are using. For example, searching for "gender theory" may produce many more search results than what you need for this assignment. Try to use key words to help narrow down your search. For example, if you want to find out about the gender theory and the role is plays in stereotyping, search for "gender theory" and "stereotyping". If you are not getting enough information, try to keep your search broad and general until you can find what you are looking for.
Please keep in mind that you cannot click the images below to get to the databases. However, you can click on the secondary eResources link below, and that will take you directly to the databases.
To Google or not to Google....that is the question!
You may want to check out some websites for your research. However, you need to make sure those sites are not biased and have been created by reputable sources. So you will need to put them through the CRAAP test! CRAAP stands for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy and Purpose. Below is a worksheet that will help you determine if the website that you are choosing to use passes the CRAAP test:
MLA 8 - The New Way to Cite Your Work in MLA Format!
As you may or may not know, citing work in MLA format has recently been updated. When you go to college or university, the expectation will be that you will know how to do your citations correctly in the new format. The following video breaks down how to cite your work in MLA 8 format.
Doing Your Research - Creating a Works Cited Page in MLA 8 Format
MLA 8 was designed to simplify the process, helping writers accurately and intuitively cite sources more easily, requiring that every source type follow the same format. This means that books, websites, periodicals, videos, photographs, and all other types of sources now use this same standard format.
MLA 8 requires researchers to locate the same “core elements” from their sources and place them in a standard order in order to create their citations.
The “Core Elements” of an MLA 8 citation, along with their corresponding punctuation marks, include the following (in this order):
1. Authors.
2. Title of the source.
3. Title of container,
4. Other contributors,
5. Version,
6. Numbers,
7. Publisher,
8. Publication date,
9. Location.
The appropriate punctuation mark will follow each core element, unless it is the final piece. In this case, the punctuation mark would be a period.
Example of an MLA Eighth Edition Works Cited Page:
Patterson, James, and Chris Grabenstein. House of Robots. Little, Brown and Co., 2014.
Patterson, James, and Chris Tebbetts. Middle School: Get Me Out of Here. Little, Brown and Co., 2012.
Sparks, Nicholas. Dear John. Grand Central, 2007, p. 82.
– – – . A Walk to Remember. Warner, 1999.
Twenty-Eight Days Later. Directed by Danny Boyle, produced by Alex Garland, Fox
Searchlight Pictures, 2002.