Individual Oral (IO)

The Individual Oral (IO) is a fifteen-minute oral exam done on two pieces of literature as they relate to a global issue. It consists of 10 minutes of presentation and 5 minutes of questioning. Your two pieces of literature should be ones you have read in the class and one must be a work in translation (a piece of literature that was not originally in your native language). These two works must then be connected by a global issue. It must be a large-scale problem that is felt in all parts of the world. Things like racism, sexism, food insecurity, poverty, class conflict, political instability, access to education, etc. Once you have decided on a topic, you can prepare to present for ten uninterrupted minutes. This might sound daunting, but I assure you, it’s not as bad as it sounds. You are allowed to bring ten bullet points of information with you and that makes the memorization process a lot more lenient. If you are knowledgeable about the topic you are covering, then the 5 minutes of questioning afterward should be no problem whatsoever. Your teacher is trying to help you out and their questions are always ones which they think you’ll be able to answer easily. There’s really nothing you can do to prepare for the final section, so I recommend you focus all your effort towards a good oral presentation. You don’t need to memorize every word, but I don’t recommend trying to wing it. A few practice sessions beforehand are really all you need. Overall, the IO is a pretty easy assignment but it can be very stressful. So don’t worry about it too much.