Panel Presentation Guidelines

Panel presentations are intended to explore one topic. The topic should be narrow enough that one abstract would summarize the entire panel. The panel format is ideal for class projects on related topics. The goal of the panel is to discuss one topic in depth. This may mean examining an issue from different perspectives or discussing different examples of the same phenomenon. Because presentations can be vary in terms of relatedness, the format for panel presentations is more flexible than paper presentations. There is no time limit on individual presentations but the entire session can be no longer than 90 minutes including time for questions.

Panelists should inform the moderator of the session about the order of presentations, the approximate length of each panelist's presentation, and how the panel would like to handle questions (i.e., should the audience ask questions after each presentation or wait until all the panelists have spoken). Individual titles for papers given during a panel will be published in the Colloquium Proceedings.

Below are two examples of past panels.

Social Identity as It is Shaped by Group Membership
This panel consists of a group of speakers who will read from works they wrote in Social Psychology (SOC 365) for Assistant Professor Mariah Tenamoc. The focus is on how group membership shapes a person's identity. People are simultaneously members of many groups classified largely as the "human race," to the most intimate two-person groups as "spouses" or "parent-child," for instance. Particular characteristics may be demonstrated to be considered the "heart" of a particular group membership. There may be social acts making group members easily recognizable. Particular to most groups are symbolic characteristics and shared meanings, sometimes observed in common terminology. Group memberships influence or contribute to a members' standards, attitudes, and aspirations. Each panelist will report on an individual's identity as it has been shaped by a particular group membership. The panelists provide contextual information about the group and more precisely discuss how an individual they each identified responded to various questions about group membership and its influence on identity.

Panelists:

• Sydney Awe, "Case Study: Married for 25 Years"
• Emily Bezdicek, "Case Study: A High School Football Coach"
• Niki Frohman, "Case Study: A Single Mother"
• Shawna Lien, "Case Study: A Single Father Trying to Gain Custody of His Son"
• Audra Magel, "Case Study: Being Gay"
• Christina Roe, "Case Study: An African Immigrant"
• Kristen Waisley, "Case Study: An Interracially Married Couple"

Faculty Sponsor(s):

• Tenamoc, Mariah

Using Web Pages to Facilitate Learning about the History of the Theatre
During fall semester of 2001 the co-requisite courses of Theatre History I and Drama I developed Web pages using Netscape Composer and/or Adobe Page Mill to research a topic regarding the history of the theatre. The first panelist researched actors and theatre conventions in early Greek theatre and during the renaissances that occurred all throughout Europe. This panelist dealt with different theatre conventions of the periods and how they affected the actors and roles portrayed by actors. The second panelist investigated research mask usage in the theatre for multiple eras. The assertion was that masks were used throughout theatre history for various purposes. This research covered the use of theatrical masks from Greek Tragedies to Japanese Noh Theatre to the Italian Commedia dell'Arte. The final panelist studied the methods in which actors provided input into theatrical performances and how this input changed over time. Using Web pages provided a context for information from a variety of sources that should help students to better understand the environments the actors worked in.

Panelists:

• Jenny Sather, "Theatre Conventions and Actors"
• Aimee Wendt, "The Role of Masks in Theatre"
• Eli Ebb, "Actors and Collaboration in the History of Theatre"

Faculty Sponsor(s):

• Wentworth, Brenda

Hints

• Give an overview about the panel's topic before any individual presentation is given. The overview should assist the audience in understanding how the individual papers are related.
• Give a summary after all the panelists are finished presenting. The summary is an opportunity to integrate the different ideas or perspectives and to discuss the significance of the conclusions of the panelists.
• Discuss beforehand as a panel the order and length of each presentation as well as the transition between speakers (i.e., how will the panelists know when it is their turn to present). It is also helpful to discuss who will be giving the overview and who will be doing the closing or summary.
• For suggestions on the format of individual panel presentations, see Paper Guidelines.