General Presentation Prompt
This is a general prompt that provides guidelines and requirements for all 3 of the presentations for this course: EAA and YANSS chapters, and the Coates research.
In each case, your goal is to explain the information to the class (for the EAA and YANSS presentations, you can expect that the class has read the chapter(s) that you are covering). In addition, create activities or discussion questions to engage the class in the topic--help us think through the material.
In most cases the chapters themselves will provide suggestions or ideas for discussion or activities. Also consider using the website that accompanies YANSS, the Your Are Not So Smart website Links to an external site., and basic google and youtube searches for activities relates to the concepts from Everything’s an Argument.
Minimum Requirements:
- Present the assigned information clearly and knowledgeably
- Be prepared and practiced
- Use presentation tools and visuals effectively*
- Engage the class in a related activity or discussion of the material
- Meet the time requirements
- COATES RESEARCH ONLY — You must relate your research to Coates’s book and identify specific quotations or sections of the book to illustrate that connection. Seek to answer this question: How does the research change your thinking about Coates’s ideas?
*You may include short video or audio clips, if you think they are worthwhile. These should be a maximum of 2 minutes long.
Time requirements:
- YANSS and EAA presentations 10-15 minutes
- Coates Research 20-25 minutes
My goal for these presentations is for you help your classmates understand and engage with the material. With that in mind, these are not meant to be formal. Have fun, make jokes, create absurd activities to engage us in a meaningful way with the content.
Research Source Options
- Interview with the author of The Color of Law Links to an external site. Links to an external site.— This interview will cover the basic history of red-lining, a set of laws that prohibited African Americans and other people of color from being able to buy homes or start businesses in certain areas. It essentially explains why our society is still segregated to a some extent and it will help us understand the reasons behind the conditions Coates experiences in his neighborhood growing up, as well as other aspects of his ideas.
- The Black Panthers: The Vanguard of the Revolution — This documentary film is available on Netflix, and covers the history, origins, and philosophy of the Black Panther Party. Coates's father was a member of the BPP, and Coates is influenced by their philosophies to some extent.
- The 13th — This documentary film is available on Netflix. It was nominated for an Academy Award and covers racism within the criminal justice system. Coates never discusses the criminal justice system explicitly, but the ideas in this film relate to many of his key ideas and criticisms of our society.
- "My Dungeon Shook: A Letter to My Nephew" by James Baldwin Links to an external site. -- This essay is written by one of the most important writers on race of our time, James Baldwin. Coates is often compared to him, and many believe that Between the World and Me was inspired by this essay.
- Race: The Power of an Illusion Links to an external site. (Documentary series available via CCC Library) — There are 3 episodes: 1: The House We Live In; 2: The Story We Tell; 3: The Difference Between Us. All explore race as a social construct in our society. You can decide to only watch one or two, or all three of the episodes as a group. It's up to you. These texts will be helpful in understand Coates's ideas about "the people who think they are white."
- Lost in Detention Links to an external site. — This is an episode of Frontline that investigates the experiences of undocumented immigrants who are detained in US detention centers. I think there are a lot of commonalities between Coates's ideas and the experiences of undocumented people in the U.S., so I hope this text helps use to understand that better.