You may choose to give a presentation to class instead of doing the Extra Credit Project. You may do this alone or with one other person. If you do it alone, the presentation should be 20 minutes; if with another person, it should be 30-40 minutes. The days on which you may do presentations appear on the Calendar.
Tell me whether you are going to choose the presentation by January 31st. This date is necessary to give everyone who wants to present time to do so. If I don't hear from you, I assume that you will do the Project, not the Presentation.
Grading: The presentation will be worth up to 40 points. If you present with another person, part of this point total is a group grade, and part (the greater part) is your individual grade. Here is the full 
Grading rubric. As part of the grading process the class will fill out this form to comment on your presentation.
What to present on? You may give presentations on topics you may want to use in your Final Paper. You may, if you like, present on something we have already covered (in case you're interested in Old English, for example), but hopefully presentations will occur when we are scheduled to cover similar material. The best topics are not "general introductions" (that's my job), but deal with a specific aspect of the topic for the week. How you prepare otherwise is up to you all. Here to start you thinking is a list of suggested topics.
Preparation: Each person/group will meet with me about a week or two before the presentation day, when we will arrive at a suitable topic for the week. Topics are somewhat flexible, and depend on the topic for class that week and what issues you is interested in. What do I expect you to come to the meeting with? Come with ideas!
In class: There are no silent presenters; each person must spend time presenting information to class. How this is organized is up to you, though of course I can help. The best presentations happen when people know their topic thoroughly beyond merely what they will be saying to class.
The presentation should include several things. First, what is your topic? Second, tell us how you are going to present it to us (what order you're going in, what each person will do, etc.). Third, just as in a paper, lead us through transitions ("I will now explain two specific examples of the Old English poetry which exemplify the orality I've just defined . . . "). Fourth, and crucially, give us very specific examples. Cite clear examples of language or linguistic change, and connect them very explicitly to the larger cultural issues you want to cover. You are encouraged to reach beyond linguistic examples, but be just as clear as you show how they work too.
Fifth and finally, give us a handout at the beginning of your talk. This should include: 1) your name(s), your topic, and your presentation date; 2) a list of relevant terms and definitions; 3) copies of any exhibits you want to use--just as you would quote examples in a paper, quote them to us in a handout; and 4) a list of relevant sources we might go to later (say, for a final paper). These might be visual or textual, creative or critical, and should include both hard copy and internet resources. Give us a sentence describing what each is good for. Five to ten items here is fine, formatted (of course) in MLA style.
NB: The only iron-clad unallowable is that you may not project a Powerpoint text or outline of your presentation. You may project exhibits, including text you for use as an example, but not the text you have written for your presentation. The reason for this is that far too often presenters just read cards, which is redundant, incredibly uninteresting, and too often a crutch for what's in actuality an unorganized talk. It therefore does more harm than good, since merely reading projected text does not capture your audience. If you feel compelled to show us your outline, include it in your handout, but the structure of your talk should be clear in your oral presentation. The students in your audience, in my experience, want to be interested. This just means that we'll have questions for you.
We want to walk out fascinated. So, be ambitious. Use cards or write it all out for yourself if you like, but learn and practice your topic well enough to speak it to us. Interesting information will capture us, especially if it is given with good exhibits to bring it alive and pique our curiosity. Feel free to move beyond language to use images, music, objects, or anything else which helps.