Memory Presentation

Follow these guidelines:

• Format the exam as a Word Doc
• Double space your work
• Clearly mark each part of the exam – section 1; section 2, parts A and B
• Use MLA formatting (in-text citations and Works Cited). For the Works Cited, use information available to you (no need for further research for entries).
• Include the Code of Ethics. This is an individual exam, and collaboration is not allowed— with other students, with me, or with anyone else.

The exam prompt

Section 1

Each of you developed two topics, and this section concerns the topic that you did NOT choose for your Memory Presentation. Thus, this prompt may apply to your personal topic or to your research topic.

For this section, develop the story or narrative of the topic you did not choose. Your objective is to make this section specific, vivid, and interesting. If you are writing about a research topic, you should include a couple of quotes from the interview(s) you conducted. For either topic, it is fine to include some material from your Memory Presentation Scripts in this answer. Finally, I know that your story will be a partial or incomplete one and you can state that fact in your answer; be sure to explicitly reference an area or two that you would have pursued if you had fully developed this topic.

This section will consist of 1-2 paragraphs.

Section 2

This section concerns your actual Memory Presentation:

• Part A:  introduction/explanation of your project and its aims (1 paragraph)
• Part B:  discussion of two points on memory and forgetting that help illuminate your project. Think about two points that apply to your project. Illustrate/discuss. Remember that you can draw either on explicit or implicit points for your discussion. (For instance, Lee does not speak much on the topic of memory in an explicit manner, but implicit beliefs can be drawn from his work.)  Explain each point (with 1-2 quotes) before applying it. (Part B should consist of 2 paragraphs)

Suggested preparation

• Reread your interview transcripts/notes (research presentation) or your written memories (personal presentation), as well as your Memory Script, to prepare for Section 1.

• In preparation for section 2:
  • View your Memory Presentation at least once.
    • Draw out a few important quotes
    • Try to view the piece from the perspective of an outsider – ie, view it as a critic. This step will aid in your analysis.
  • Design your own freewrite in which you bullet out some possible connections between your Presentation and texts we have read. (see list below)
• Go through slides and selected texts to find connections and quotes. Prep more connections than you need so that you can determine which two will be best to actually include in the exam.

Other suggestions for writing a strong exam

• You may use the first person “I” in this exam.
• Note that transitions are not needed between sections. In fact, I recommend simply labeling each section and part and leaving space between them.
• When developing the connections in 2B, advance points that are challenging and analytic, in which you are discovering something new.
• Check your writing to be sure it is clear, concise, and correct.

Texts that can be used in part 2B

All of these texts are either in your possession or located on Canvas:

• Lee, “Magical Dinners”
• Hampl, “Memory and Imagination”
• Connerton, “Seven Types of Forgetting”
• Norman, I Hate to Leave this Beautiful Place (including his Introduction)
• Carson, Nox
• Spiegelman, volumes 1 and 2 of Maus
• Any of the 10 pieces used for the group presentations (you can write about the one your group presented on or about another)
• Any of the videos – such as interviews – we viewed in class (all posted to Canvas)
• The Global Film:  Quo Vadis, Aida?
• Any of the Memory Presentations of your classmates (to cite, include last name, first name, “Memory Presentation,” and date accessed).