Presentation Information

      The purpose of this assignment is to give you the opportunity and experience of critically analysing a particular topic (viewpoint, claim, belief, event, etc.).

      There are multiple topics eligible for analysis (see below), including perhaps a topic of personal relevance to you that isn't on the list (but let's talk about it first so that I can approve your topic). You (and possibly another if you teamed up with someone) will present a 10-20 minute (max) paranormal or pseudo-scientific topic to the class. It might be easiest to do this in a manner similar to what I have done: First educate the class about the topic, then apply the principles that were presented in the course to determine the likelihood that the topic is valid, valuable, and/or reliable.

VERY IMPORTANT: IF YOU ATTEMPT TO FIND COUNTER-POINTS ON THE WEB OR RELY ON THE WEB FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN FINDING BEST EXAMPLES OF A CLAIM/BELIEF, YOU MAY FAIL THIS ASSIGNMENT! YOU SHOULD ONLY BE RELYING ON THE PRINCIPLES WE DISCUSSED IN CLASS TO ANALYZE CLAIMS.

Please Consider: While I have allocated enough class time to presentations, it occasionally happens that some presentations run longer than they should have. This can result in some students not having time to present. In which case, it would not be fair to penalize those people who did not have time to present, but it also would not be fair to those who presented already for other students to get a "free pass" on that assignment. My best solution is to have everyone prepare a pre-recorded presentation that can be viewed outside of class times in case they end up getting bumped from the schedule due to lack of time. This semester I will not require the pre-recording of presentations, BUT, if you do not have a pre-recorded presentation AND you get bumped, you WILL receive a ZERO for that assignment. If you DO create a pre-recorded presentation and do not get bumped, you can turn that presentation in to me for extra-credit as long as I receive it before midnight of the day of your scheduled presentation.

IMPORTANT: While your presentation should earn you many of the points for this assignment, a significant remainder of your points can only be earned as an active participant in the presentations of others' (via relevant and thought provoking questions asked of presenters, appropriately answering questions posed by the presenters, etc.).

The table below provides some possible ideas to consider for your class project/presentation. ALL students must have their project topic/approach approved by the course instructor no later than the fourth week of the semester.

Topics to consider:

  • American College of Pediatricians vs. American Academy of Pediatrics
  • Brain Beat (brainbeat.com)
  • Calories in, calories out (weight gain/loss)
  • Chemtrails
  • Chiropractic
  • Cold Laser therapy.
  • Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
  • Essential Oils
  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
  • Eye Wear Claims such as Blue-Blockers/Amber Lenses/EnChroma
  • Flat Earth
  • Freudian theory/therapy
  • Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
  • Gluten
  • GOOP.COM (almost anything from here)
  • Hypnosis
  • Jungian theory/therapy
  • Learning styles
  • Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
  • Mother Teresa
  • Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
  • Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)
  • Osteopathy
  • Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI)
  • Or create a pseudo-science product ad using tricks covered in class (then debunk it)

NOTE: The PowerPoint file(s) used for your presentations should be provided to me at least four (4) days BEFORE the class in which they will be used. I'd like to have a chance to give you last-minute advice or information to facilitate your presentation.

Classiness and Style Tips: DO NOT...

  • ...use tiny font (NOT! Try to keep it at 30pts or larger).

  • ...simply read excerpts of text. Relevant video and images are very nice touches.

  • ...argue primarily from personal opinions or anecdotes. USE the principles we covered throughout the course!