NYU Cinema Studies Student Conference

Moderator Information

Thank you for agreeing to moderate a panel at this year's Cinema Studies Student Conference. Below is some information to orient you with what to expect when you arrive on the day of the conference and your role as moderator.

Need information about your panel? Check the Moderator Schedule.

What to Expect on Conference Day

  1. Arrive at least 20 minutes before the start of your panel to the Panelist Staging Area, located in the Cinema Studies Fishbowl (Room 643), where you will meet with a Panelist Liasion.
  2. The Panelist Liasion will escort you to the panel venue (room 656 or 651).
  3. At the scheduled start time, introduce the panel, the presenters, and their paper titles.
  4. Enfore the time 20-minute limit for each presenter.
  5. Open and moderate a short discussion period until either discussion has been exhausted or at the panel's scheduled ending time.
  6. Enjoy the rest of your day.

Role of the Moderator

Much of the following section are merely guidelines. Feel free to use your own personal way to conduct your role as moderator.

Introduce Panelists

On the day of the conference, you will be provided a summary of each panel including the title of each presentation and a biography of each presenter. You can either introduce each panelist before he/she presents his/her paper or introduce them as a group at the beginning of the panel.

Enforce Time Limit

Each panelist will have twenty minutes to present his/her paper. We ask that you communicate visible yet discreet signs to each panelist when five minutes remain, when two minutes remain, and when times has expired.

Because of the large number of panelists presenting this year, we ask that you dictatorially enforce the time limit.

Moderate Discussion

The Q&A period should last between ten and fifteen minutes, depending on whether there are two or three presentations in each panel.

At least ten days before the conference, the organizers will provide you with copies of each paper in your panel. Please read them before the conference. If appropriate, communicate comments to the presenter before the panel. (In some cases, this may be the first time a panelist will be receiving feedback.)

To spark discussion, formulate one or two questions that will tie the presentations together and have each panelist address your question(s). You should also open the floor to discussion but close it to ensure finishing the panel on time.