I liked my TED Talk performance. I think it was very evident that I was well prepared, and spoke entirely from memory from how much I had practiced. My slides had minimal words and enhanced my performance. I think my presentation was engaging and interesting, contributing new and detailed information. My largest fault was time– I went way over the limit because I got very passionate about my topic and probably included more information that I should have. In looking back, there were definitely one or two slides that I could have reduced or even deleted altogether to cut my timing. If this was a presentation that was 6-10 minutes long, it would have been perfect, however it was not and I should have kept that in mind. That being said, I am proud of myself and believe that the content I had will take priority over me going over time, as the product itself was well done in my opinion.

I have a few ideas for the History of a Public Controversy project, though I think originally I was looking more at scandals instead of controversies. Discussing the differences in class today was very helpful.

1. My first idea is a little bit basic but the overturn of Roe v Wade and abortion access is a largely debated controversy in today’s political and social climates. This is a debate that has been going on for decades so it spans a long time and affects a wide range of people. There are people on both sides– pro-choice and pro-life who have varying arguments about when life begins and whether a fetus is entitled to the same rights as a born person. There are people who are very passionate in their opinions on this, including myself.
2. Secondly, the idea of assisted suicide is something interesting to me. This has been widely debated for a while and is in the public sphere. Some people believe that assisted suicide is really just homicide and could be a slippery slope to medical malpractice, while others believe that terminal patients should have the opportunity to choose a quick and painless death instead of waiting and getting weaker by the day, burdening their families financially.
3. Obesity is widely debated and is very applicable, specifically in the US as the fattest nation in the world. Some people believe in body positivity and that there should be adjustments made for obese individuals such as larger seats, larger doorways, more inclusive sizing, etc, while others argue that this is normalizing an unhealthy lifestyle. This topic is something that I especially see on social media platforms.
4. Lastly, the death penalty is something that has evolved over time and has been widely debated. This penalty could impact many lives, especially for incarcerated individuals. Some people believe in the idea of a life for a life, that violent crimes should be met with the ultimate sacrifice, while others either do not think that murder should be justified in any context or that its a greater punishment to allow criminals to rot in prison for their whole lives.

I’ll have to discuss these various ideas with my group members and see what project we want to end up doing. I’m also curious to see what ideas my group members have come up with.